Disrupted Cadence
by Blaquediamond Princess
Summary: When Allen decided to leave Cross for Tyki, he never knew what he was getting himself into. His love, loyalty and friendships were all going to be put to the test with his heart as a battleground. Who will he choose in the end? Cross or Tyki? OOC, AU.
1. The fool

**Main Parings: CrossxAllen, TykixAllen**

**Rating: M for language and upcoming smut**

**Warning: Massive dosage of OOC-ness, though I did try to keep most of the characters in... character. And just in case you didn't realize yet this is YAOI peeps, don't like, don't read, don't bitch. The story takes place in an Alternate Universe that strangely reminds me of California, even though I've never been there.  
**

**Additional warning: This is the author's first DGM fic and she really likes reviews, in fact, she can be quite bitchy if she doesn't get any.**

**Summary: When Allen decided to leave Cross for Tyki, he never knew what he was getting himself into. His loyalty, love and friendships were all going to be put to the test with his heart as a battleground. But who will he choose in the end? Cross or Tyki?**

**Tarot Card Meaning: The fool is the first card of the high arcana in Tarot. And stands for beginnings, a fresh, exciting new time for the querent (Allen).  
**

* * *

THE FOOL

* * *

"So, did you tell him?"

For a moment there he actually thought she'd been joking and turned to her to call her on that. It wasn't until he saw her genuine questioning expression that he realized that she was serious.

"Tell him what? I accidently let you fuck me in my dream?"

Lenalee rolled her eyes and turned her attention back on the road, slowing down before a changing light. She sighed as they watched a teen girl cross over in front of them. "It's not like he doesn't know you like him, Al. You gave the man a blowjob."

Allen fidgeted, brushed his bangs back in frustration and then slumped down in his seat, biting on his thumbnail. "Fuck."

Lenalee followed the cute blonde girl with her eyes, appreciating the way her long, tanned legs looked under her black short shorts. She tilted her head to the side with one eye on the still red light when she didn't get any response from her roommate. This was typical. "Al…" she sighed in a reprimanding tone.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do, Lee?" he exploded next to her, one hand over his eyes now.

"Give into it. Or not give into it and stop panicking over one dream like a little bitch."

He glared at her.

"You like him," she said, glaring back. "Wait no, I'm pretty sure you'd venerate the ground he steps on if you could. Big Red is never around and it's not like you two established what it is you two have now. This Tyki guy is here, _available_ and I hear smoking hot, so what's the hold up?" She looked at the light again and drove on when it jumped on green.

"It's not that easy…" Allen whispered, looking at the glittering ocean on his right. "Red and I go years back, I've known him since I was ten."

"He was twenty back then and an apprentice priest if I recall it correctly." She chuckled, "Boy, he fell from grace _fast_."

Allen laughed, reminiscing. "Hey, he didn't touch me before I was seventeen and not because _I_ wanted him to. He had his rules… that is when it came down to me."

"The man began drinking like a fish and fucking anything with a pulse the moment he left priesthood…" Lenalee said with a smirk when she saw her friend smile a little. "But he was always so very protecting of you. And you told me he stopped seeing the women once you two began doing it, right?"

"When he's here with me," Allen said softly. "We never promised each other anything and he knows I've had some relationships besides the one we have…"

"He's never around, so I guess he can't really tell you what to do, huh?"

Allen fell silent after that for a moment. The thing was, that he wouldn't have minded waiting if he'd had any resemblance of a guarantee that Big Red would do the same until his return. Over the lapse of three years since they'd started getting intimate, never had there been a promise, or a sign or anything that bound him to Big Red.

This was honestly the first time he'd ever thought about ending it because for the first time, it had started to hurt.

Real bad.

"I'm in love, Lenalee. And I don't know how to tell him." He lifted his head to look at her and found her staring at him briefly with a worried expression, her silver earrings glittering through the strands of her bob-cut.

"Allen…"

"I want to break up with him because I maybe finally found someone I can build something with, with whom I don't have to dread every last week of every month because of his job requirements. I hate waiting for that one week each month in which we can be together, in which we have to cram all we feel for each other. And that is if he's in a good mood and we're not fighting all the time."

"…"

He chuckled softly. "I woke up one day and I realized I loved him and it scared the shit out of me that I had no idea if he feels the same or not."

Lenalee sighed. "So why not ask him?"

Allen grinned sadly at that. "Because I know he'd just shrug it off and leave. He'd never tell me."

"What…? But the fact that he keeps coming back—"

"We're not playing 'house' him and I," Allen interrupted her. "At best when he's here; we fuck we sleep, we eat. He mostly tells me what I need to know and I'm pretty much the same. Come to think of it, that's kind of screwed up. _I_ have to be screwed up to love someone like that."

"Huh, I can think of worse things," Lenalee replied. "I always thought that Big Red was the Big Constance in your life."

"He is," Allen admitted, watching as they pulled up by the sushi bar where they were meeting their friends -not just because Tyki Mikk owned the place- and stepped out of the car. "I just don't see myself doing this ten years from now, you know? I think it's time I start dancing to another rhythm."

Lenalee slammed her door shut and then leaned against the roof of her car with a giggle. "Maybe a Tyki Mikk-one?"

Allen grinned back and shrugged, closed his door and buried his hand in the back pockets of his skinny jeans. "Who knows?"

* * *

ToBeContinued...

**_-BDP-_**


	2. The Magician

**I'll keep updating this as long as I have the time and the reviews to do so! Thanks for those who reviewed so far, I'll take what I'll get!**

**Warning: Bad language and CrossxAllen Smut! Oh and some mild drug use (it's just pot)**

**Tarot Card Meaning: This card stands for someone else than the querent (Allen) and is someone with a magnetic personality, someone who can convince people of almost anything. He helps reveal an important truth to the querent, which the querent secretely had in his head all along. He helps the querent decide what to do with it.**

* * *

THE MAGICIAN

* * *

By the time they left the restaurant it had started to rain and the boulevard that'd been crowded two hours before was deserted.

"Hey, maybe we'll meet him next time, eh?" Lavi said with a grin and a wave when he walked off in the opposite direction of Allen and Lenalee with Miranda. Because neither Marie nor Kanda showed up, Lavi was going to take her home.

Allen smiled back and waved, "Yeah, I hope so too. See you tomorrow, Lavi, Miranda!"

"Goodnight you guys," Miranda said, suppressing a yawn.

"Get a good night sleep, Miranda," Lenalee advised her with a little worried frown.

Miranda smiled softly and waved before hurrying after Lavi who'd parked a way off.

"Guess Marie and Kanda really had no time to spare," Allen commented, walking over to the light blue New Beetle he and Lenalee co-owned.

"Yeah, it's been what now? A week since Marie has been working non-stop on the opening of the dojo? She's barely seen her fiancé because of it; Kanda is really working him to the bone!"

They stepped into the car once she unlocked it and drove off.

"Did Tyki call?" she asked when she saw him checking his messages on his phone.

"No…" Allen replied with a frown, flipping through the pages of his inbox with a flick of his finger over the screen. "Oh no…" he then whispered in dismay.

Lenalee glanced over at him. "What is it?"

"Chaoji's mother is back in the hospital," he announced, reading their friend's message. "She's been experiencing shortness of breath again."

Lenalee gasped quietly. "Oh no, the angioplasty* didn't take?"

Allen shrugged, "That's what they're trying to figure out right now."

"Tell him it's okay if he misses tomorrow's practice, we're just going to go over the lyrics and the compositions. Miranda and I can sing acapella with Lavi on the accoustic guitar. We can do without our beloved drummer. Also tell him there's no big rush; we've booked the studio for recording by the end of the week."

Allen nodded, "Yeah, he's at the hospital so I'll just send him a message back."

"So, not too disappointed?" she asked after a moment of silence had passed.

"About Tyki not being there? Sure," Allen admitted with a shrug and a small grin. "But I wasn't really expecting him to be there… It would've been great if he had been there, but I had a good time either way."

"Good to hear," Lenalee whispered, checking her rearview mirror and smirking. "I liked the place; it had a great concept with the sushis on small colored plates on the conveyor belt."

Allen laughed, "Yeah, I liked that too and also the fact that you can see the chef preparing every plate, so you know it fresh. I've never seen Lavi eat that much fish in like ever!"

Lenalee giggled. "It sure was tasty, in fact I think it was the best sushi I've eaten in a while and it was at an affordable price, too."

"Well yeah, each plate color is a price code so you can actually decide for yourself how much you want to pay when you're done," Allen explained.

"Yeah," Lenalee nodded. "We could start hanging there after practice?"

Allen gave a skeptic stare and chuckled. "Sure, because I want Tyki to think I'm stalking him."

"Other than in your mind, you mean?" she retorted, laughing.

"Hardy har har! No," Allen scowled, folding his arms over his chest.

"You should invite him to our next gig," Lenalee suggested, taking the next street on her left so they arrived on their street.

"He's like this big entrepreneur who owns different buildings in the city, you really think he has time to come see one of our gigs?" Allen asked, feeling a little insecure all of a sudden.

"I don't know, I hear Black Order is pretty big in town and they almost always sell out…" she said, voice dripping with irony. "Also, the songwriter of the group, Allen Walker, who also plays the keyboard and is occasionally a rhythm guitarist for the group, is unbelievably cute and gives one hell of a blowjob!"

"Oh my God, you're right! Alright, I'll ask him!" Allen laughed, unbuckling his seatbelt when she stopped their car in front of their small house.

"Don't sell yourself short, babe," she whispered, leaning into him and cupping his face with her right palm. "He is bound to like you!"

"Thanks, babe," he whispered back smiling softly, giving her a peck on her lips.

She hugged him and smiled, suddenly noticing that the light in Allen's room on the second floor was on. "Uh, I think you have a visitor."

Allen frowned and let go of her, turning around in his seat to look for himself. A blush grew over his cheeks. "I wasn't expecting him for another week!" he whispered, tucking a few strands of his bleached hair behind his ears before opening his side of the car and hurrying over to the house.

Lenalee watched him go, wondering if her friend even realized how excited he became whenever Big Red was in town.

She then wondered if he knew he was only setting himself up for more heartbreak. Yet she didn't blame him.

Letting go was a bitch and bad habits die hard.

* * *

His back hit the door he'd barely finished closing a few seconds earlier and he breathed in that musky scent of tobacco and leather that sent his mind reeling time and time again.

"You're… here…?" Allen breathed between kisses.

"Had time on my hands…" he breathed back before capturing the younger male's lips hungrily and mercilessly, tongue delving into his mouth possessively.

Like always, the first time after Big Red's return from absence was raw and almost animalistic, and this time was no exception to the rule.

His desire radiated off of him in crushing waves that left Allen shivering with anticipation.

It wasn't long before he found himself on his bed and underneath the larger man, his naked body pressed against Big Red's still fully clothed one, his feet dangling off his broad shoulders.

"I don't want to hurt you, so relax," Big Red murmured gruffly.

"Fuck!" Allen cried when those first wide and thick inches breached him. "Marian, come on— just… I have lube—" the rest of his protest disappeared in a gasp and yell. The bastard just forced his way in. Like usual.

Allen only saw red when he opened his eyes again; Marian's lips were pressing against the star shaped scar above his left eyebrow.

"So tight, Allen…"

Allen grunted in discomfort. "M-move!"

Marian complied and pushed back on his hands on each side of Allen's head, catching his grey gaze with his light brown one, his long hair failing around them in an endless cascade of carmine. When next he thrust, Allen whimpered and both sets of his white colored nails dug into the muscles of the arms bracing his lover. The pain was already beginning to subside and he forced himself to breathe through it carefully as Marian picked up the pace, his hips working in fast, precise and whipping thrusts, the pleasure growing exponentially. Allen didn't even try to hold himself back, he knew he couldn't, he never had been able to. Not with Marian Cross aka Big Red. He would cum once, maybe twice before Mr _Big_ Red was anywhere near his limit.

And so, before he knew it, he was already breathless and moaning helplessly and beseechingly.

Cross loved to watch Allen like this. Loved to see what he did to Allen every time they did it like this. Each nuance of Allen's pleasure and pain as he pounded into his body was a source of wonderment for him. No doubt the boy was beauteous and he experienced something akin to longing when they spent time apart. To be completely honest he found a sense of peace whenever he came to this beach side town, a calm he couldn't find when he was rushing from one city to another with the rock band he produced and managed. He wouldn't deny the boy was precious to him because of their history, a piece of him he wouldn't like to see disappear any time soon.

"Marian…!"

He watched him come undone and closed his eyes at the rush of warmth that splattered against his stomach and chest, smiling gently when Allen opened teary eyes up to him. He then eased Allen's legs off his shoulders and spread the blonde's tights wide so he could wrap them around his hips and bent over to kiss him and go for a last spurt.

It burned; felt scorching even and Allen couldn't but cry out again and arch his back when Cross came inside, grunting wordlessly in his ear, raining soft kisses on the side of his face.

"Fuck…" he hissed as Cross slowly pulled out, the endorphin levels in his body now back to normal and because of that came the dreaded, incessant throbbing sensation in his lower back.

Cross rolled off of him and next to him on the large bed with one arm over his forehead, catching his breath.

"Do you have any pot?" Allen asked after a while, sitting up.

"Yeah," Cross answered, reaching for the small bag next to the bed and taking out a golden cigarette container and a lighter. He took out an expertedly rolled joint and gave it to him, watching how Allen leaned over his chest and placed it between his lips.

Allen inhaled the smoke as the joint was lit and then bent over to share the smoke with Cross through a kiss. The kiss soon became a heated one and Allen crawled on top of his lover, breaking lip contact and placing the joint back in his mouth as he reached for the lube in his bedside cabinet left from Cross' head.

After the necessary preparations Allen slid down Cross' renewed erection and groaned, arching when big hands settled on his hips and followed the lazy rhythm. He bent over and buried his face in the crook of Cross' neck and shoulder to nip and suck at the sensitive skin there, guiding the joint he still held in his right hand towards the older man's mouth while rolling his hips up and down sensually.

"Fuck yeah…"

Allen moaned in approval and sat up again, picking the joint from Cross' mouth and taking a last drag before putting it on the cabinet so he could focus on fucking the brains out of his demanding lover.

He never heard his phone in the back pocket of his pants buzz by the door, nor did he see the name that appeared on the screen.

_**Incoming Call: Tyki Mikk**_

_**Answer? Yes/No?**_

_**

* * *

**_

*Angioplasty: is the technique of mechanically widening a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel. In this story i'm talking about a coronary angioplasty: widening of a heart artery.

ToBeContinued...

**-BDP-**


	3. Temperance

**Whoa so much love in so few hours! Thanks to all of you who reviewed and supported! I'm updating this as I have the time to work on it. This chapter is twice as long as the rest, but that's because I've finally found the right direction for this story and it's usually the amount I write for each chap. Do enjoy!  
**

**Warnings: Just some bad language.**

**Tarot Card Meaning: The temperance card calls the querent (Allen) to find balance between two distinct things. The querent doesn't have the time or the patience to do so, but it needs to be done in order to avoid unnecessary suffering.  
**

**Finally! The TykixAllen fans are going to get some lovin'! (No smut yet, sorry)**

* * *

TEMPERANCE**

* * *

**

Naked feet descended the steps leading into the hallway and padded over the shiny black tiled floor towards the kitchen.

Lenalee tucked a strand of her hair behind an ear and took a sip from her coffee, flipping through the morning paper idly with her free hand. She looked up just in time to see Big Red open the large fridge in search of breakfast, wearing nothing but a pair of low, tight leather pants, his long hair falling down his back in stylishly chopped layers.

"Good morning," Lenalee said ingenuously. She was used to seeing the older man strut around her house with close to nothing on and once she'd even seen why Allen called him _Big_ Red. It'd been an interesting experience, to say the least.

"Mornin'," was his reply from within the fridge. "Do you guys have some more of that pancake batter from last time?" he then asked, opening the other door of the refrigerator, scratching the top of his head.

Lenalee jumped off from her stool and padded over towards the set of cupboards directly above the small group of breakfast appliances and opened one, taking out the desired box. "Here it is, just add milk," she said giving it to him with a smile.

He smiled back and let his eyes go over her petite frame. She was wearing a black strapless top with a white imprint on her stomach and a black ruffled miniskirt above her naked legs and feet. "Thanks. You really need to find a man to take care of that beautiful frame of yours, Lenalee." He commented with an amicable smirk.

"Who says I want one?" she replied defiantly.

"Fine, find a girl then," Cross retorted, laughing when he saw that he caught her off guard. "Oh yeah, I noticed. But please tell me that someone like me still turns you on."

She chuckled. "I won't say that, but I'm pretty sure the rest of the male population still stands a chance, yeah."

He grinned. "Fine. I like what you've done to your hair by the way. Bet your brother had a heart attack."

"He did," she chuckled and brushed both her hands through her locks. "Thanks," she then said, going to another set of cupboards near the stove and taking out a mixing bowl and a metal whisk.

"So, I hear that big things are afoot for Black Order. You guys seem to become the next big thing on the West Coast, congratulations."

She shrugged shyly and gave him the bowl and whisk. "Thanks, though I guess we really have my brother to thank for the gigs he gets us."

Cross smirked, "The band is the most important thing in the equation here; it can only get big if it's really good and trust me, you guys are."

Lenalee smiled at the compliment. If it came from the master in music producing and management it had to count for something.

He took the box with the flower mix in both hands to read the instructions. "Also," he added without glancing back at her, "you might want to drop the fake modesty thing; you'll be taken more seriously without."

Lenalee mentally sweatdropped. Figures Big Red would see through it. "Right," she whispered with a nod, feeling her face beginning to glow red.

"Measuring cup?"

Lenalee blinked. "Eh?"

"For the milk," Cross clarified.

"Yeah," she said, ducking her head to hide her blush of embarrassment. She hastily grabbed the requested item from the cupboard where she'd found the mixing bowl earlier. When she turned to him again she noticed Allen standing behind the fridge by the door, gesturing for her to come to him without alerting Cross. Lenalee raised an eyebrow at that and gave Cross his measuring cup.

"What's wrong?" she whispered once she stood in front of him, her eyes registering that he was fully dressed and putting one of her favorite chain earrings in his left ear. "Where are you going?"

"Shhh!" he hissed, taking her away from the kitchen and Cross. "Tyki called," he whispered as they now stood in the hallway in front of the big mirror near the entrance.

"What? When?" Lenalee asked, immediately intrigued.

"Last night when Big Red was going kung fuck master on me…" he said with a grimace and a hand on his lower back.

She grinned. "Did he hear your phone go off?"

"No," Allen answered, fastening his right dark grey Converse All Stars boot over his black jeans hastily. "I put it on vibrate beforehand." He straightened and then grabbed her by her naked shoulders with a sense of urgency. "But that's beside the point, focus woman! I need you to keep an eye on Big Red for me."

Lenalee groaned in annoyance. "Allen, you're joking."

Allen put up his puppy dog eyes. "Tyki is taking me for breakfast at 'Reverse'. _'Reverse'_, Lenalee! So please, _please_ just make up an excuse for my absence!" he pleaded.

"But—"

Behind them in the kitchen Cross opened a door of the fridge, now standing dangerously close to the open kitchen entrance.

"Please, Lenalee! If I want this to work with Tyki I have to take this chance!"

"What about practice?" she sighed.

"I'll meet you there after breakfast. I'll be there at 11, promise!"

In the kitchen, Cross had trouble finding an adequate backing pan. "Lenalee?"

Allen opened the door with an apologizing face, "I gotta go!" He kissed her quickly, ignoring her protesting sounds. "Thanks babe!"

"I didn't even—" She called after him as he ran towards the car, but gave up. "You so owe me, bitch!" She said instead and then closed the door with a grunt.

"Was that Allen?"

Lenalee jumped at the proximity of the low voice and turned around sheepishly towards the intimidatingly tall man.

"Err… yeah… he had an errand to run," she lied and then quickly moved around him and up the stairs to avoid any further conversation on the topic of Allen.

Cross frowned slightly and opened the door in time to see Allen drive off.

* * *

Allen entered the lavish lobby of the five star restaurant 20 minutes later. He was now glaring at the hostess overlooking the reservations when she lifted a derisive eyebrow when he told her he was meeting Tyki Mikk here.

"He's expecting me," he added when she obviously took her sweet time checking her list which seriously couldn't be that long this early in the morning.

"Right, here we are, Mr Walker," she finally said with a sneer. "Table 16. Please follow me."

"Don't bother," he said, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "Thanks for nothing, stupid cunt."

He heard her gasp behind him as he walked on through the double doors that gave onto a magnificent room that bathed in the morning sun. To his left were large windows that gave a splendid view of the bay and the ocean. The kitchens and the bar were on his right. Many tables in the long, rectangular room were empty and only a handful of people were taking their breakfast at this moment.

It was therefore not hard to spot Tyki who was in sitting in one of the white leather booths with his back against the painted wall with the white flower motives in the far back of the room. His chin was resting on his intertwined hands and his elbows were on the white linen of the table. His amber eyes were silently fixing Allen as he approached, taking him in from head to toe leisurely.

Allen could feel his heartbeat begin to race when he took in Tyki's appearance, a smile growing on his lips when he realized that they were actually wearing the same thing, although they'd inversed the colors. Tyki was wearing white pants and a black shirt on top whereas Allen was wearing a white shirt on top of black jeans. He suddenly realized that his memory hadn't done Tyki any justice and that the man was actually more attractive than he remembered him, from his dark olive complexion to his shiny curly black hair and unusual golden eyes. Allen bit his lower lip and forced himself to stop his train of thought to prevent impending future embarrassment.

"Good morning, Allen," Tyki said with a small nod of his head and a dazzling white smile. There was a hint of an accent in his speech that betrayed his Latin origins and the way he let the words roll out of his mouth made Allen shiver internally.

"Good morning, Tyki," he greeted back with a soft smile. He then slid into the round booth next to Tyki, hoping to God he wasn't blushing like a little schoolboy.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you last night with my impromptu phone call," Tyki said, taking his napkin from the table and placing it on his thighs under the table.

Allen followed suit and turned his head just in time to see three waiters coming from the kitchen rolling trays laden with breakfast food.

"Err… no, it's okay, no harm done. I was otherwise occupied," he said absentmindedly. "Whoa, that's a lot of food!"

Tyki grinned amusedly as he watched him. "Have your pick."

"Seriously?" Allen asked, mouth watering. "You're sure? Because my friends don't call me a hungry monster for nothing…"

Tyki laughed at that. "I take it you eat a lot?"

Allen grinned back. "I can _always_ eat."

Tyki laughed again, a sound Allen already loved to hear. "Please, eat then. I'm sure you haven't eaten anything yet."

"Well that's true…" Allen admitted, still feeling a bit embarrassed, but feeling hungrier than anything else. "Alright, here goes."

Tyki watched half amused, half amazed how Allen ate dish after dish without pause like a famished man. Half of the three glass jugs of orange juice were empty by the time Allen finished and Tyki was struck with disbelieve at how much the boy could eat.

"Was it good?" Tyki asked after he'd finished wiping his mouth clean with his napkin.

"So good!" Allen moaned, leaning back with a hand on his slightly bulging belly. He grinned and opened his eyes, only to find Tyki's observing him longingly. Allen stilled and simply watched Tyki scoot closer and reaching to cup his face with one hand while the one bracing his weight partly came to rest on Allen's on the white leather of their seat.

Allen closed his eyes and leaned into the hand cupping his face before turning his head to let their lips connect in a sweet and gentle kiss.

"You taste like strawberries," Tyki murmured against his lips, eyes at half mast.

"There were some in my fruit salad," Allen murmured back, rubbing the tips of their noses together.

"I know," Tyki whispered, kissing him again, deeper this time. "You have to tell me how you can eat like that and still be this attractive."

Allen chuckled throatily. "I have a lot of extra-curricular activities…"

"Oh?" Tyki whispered, chuckling back and kissing him softly. "When can I see you again?"

Allen hummed softly and wrapped his arms around Tyki's neck. "My band and I are doing this gig for a local radio tomorrow down at Millennium Beach; you can come if you like?"

Tyki smiled approvingly. "And finally meet your friends and members of the famed Black Order? I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Allen smiled happily. He didn't mind meeting his friends! This man was nearing the status of 'perfect' dangerously fast!

"What?" Tyki asked gently when he caught him stare dreamily.

Allen shrugged, "No, it's just I didn't think that… you know after the way we first met that you'd be interested this much."

"You mean after the blowjob in the backseat of my car?" Tyki said with a thoughtful expression, smiling at Allen's wince. "We did talk and flirt a bit at that bar before taking it further." He shrugged, "I had made an impression of you back then, the blowjob didn't change it much. At least not in a negative way. You had me interested from the moment you accepted my drink, Allen. And honest to God I didn't know you were part of Black Order—"

Allen kissed him and then shook his head. "Shut up. It's okay; you don't need to justify yourself this much. I like you, Tyki Mikk. And not because you're this business tycoon that is taking this town by storm."

Tyki smiled. "Alright then."

"Alright then," Allen agreed.

"How about you and your friends come to my club 'Tease' after your performance of tomorrow? It could certainly make 'Tease' the place to be for the night."

Allen blinked in surprise. "Why are you talking like we would be doing you a favor? That place is like the place to be of this town's nightlife!"

Tyki grinned. "Then it's a date?"

Allen rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, wanting to play coy, "I don't know, something's missing in that offer."

"Ah, a challenge?" Tyki reasoned. "Ok, how about we have breakfast the morning after again? This time in my bed? With lots of food?"

Allen laughed hard. "Mr Mikk, you had me at 'breakfast'!"

Tyki chuckled and pulled him in closer for another kiss.

* * *

"Okay, I'm here, you guys!"

Allen entered the studio with a big smile and a slight hop in his step.

"Morning, Allen!" Miranda greeted cheerfully.

"Yo!" Lavi said from his spot in a corner of the small room, acoustic/ electric guitar in hand.

"You guys I have some great news!" Allen announced giddily.

"Allen, wait," Lenalee warned, shaking her head and pointedly looking into the direction of the control room behind the glass ahead.

Allen frowned, "Wha-?"

"_Good morning, Allen!"_ said Komui's voice through the intercom. _"Good to have you with us! We have a guest with us in the studio today!"_

Allen walked over to Lenalee so he could have a better view of their producer through the window.

Lenalee shook her head in apology. "When I told him I was coming here he wanted to come!" she whispered, covering her microphone.

Allen bit his tongue in frustration, but forced a smile a moment later and turned to the control room. Sure enough, there was Big Red standing left from Komui and the recording engineer with a rather stern expression on his handsome features.

"Morning Marian," Allen greeted through Lenalee's microphone.

"_Good morning. Good to see you when you're not sneaking out of bed, Allen."_

There was a heavy silence in which Allen glared at the older man while Cross smiled softly, holding his cigarette in his hand.

"Whatever, let's do this," Allen murmured, moving to stand behind the keyboard and taking the partitions that readily laid on the stander in his hands. His good mood was gone, but he did realize that he hadn't really handled the situation well. It wasn't Lenalee's fault that Cross was here, but his. He could only be mad at himself.

"What the hell happened?" Lavi asked inconspicuously as he approached his friend, tuning his guitar as he did.

Allen smiled sadly, glancing over at Cross who was talking with Komui. "He arrived last night."

"Unexpectedly, I gather," Lavi said with a compassionate smile.

"Yeah," Allen nodded. "But Tyki called for breakfast and like the immature doofus I am, I snuck out of bed."

Lavi gave him an encouraging shoulder tap. "Chin up, you can always apologize later, right?"

Allen sighed and hung his head. "Yeah…" He knew that whenever Cross was this stingy it was because he was disgruntled over something and this time the reason wasn't hard to find… Allen already regretted hurting him the way he did, but right now he didn't have the time to set it right. It would have to be settled later.

"_Alright people, since Chaoji can't be with us today we'll go over most of the new songs acapella. Miranda is free of guitar duty on the new songs today. Allen, Lavi we'll be recording you today on the new songs for later reference. Girls, in the notes I gave you stand all the modifications we added to the songs we rehearsed last time, feel free to add stuff wherever you feel it's necessary. We'll be starting with 'Needless emotion'. Lavi whenever you're ready."_

The studio went quiet and then the first notes of the ballad played and Lenalee opened the song with her soft mezzo soprano.

"Komui, I'd like to offer you a business proposal," Cross said two minutes later, tapping his index against his thigh in time with the music.

Komui looked up at his friend from his sitting position. "What kind of a proposal, Marian?"

"I want Black Order to be the opening act for Delete on their upcoming summer/fall tour of the West Coast."

Komui's eyebrows shot upwards and he grinned. "That'd be a great opportunity for the group!"

"So you accept?"

"If it only depended on me, yes I definitely would," Komui said with a nod. "The kids will be thrilled to hear it, but the decision lies in part in their hands."

Cross smiled complacently. "They deserve it. I can hear that they're ready for this."

Komui frowned a bit at the melancholic tone he thought he heard in his voice. "You seem a bit bummed for someone offering such a generous cooperation."

"Truth be told," Cross said with another dysphoric smile as he watched Allen smile and take pleasure in playing, "I have the feeling that I'm losing Allen."

Komui stilled and looked at the playing ensemble. "You're not in his life enough. Not like you used to be before you moved. He's learned everything he knows from you and he's become quite the independent talent in these last three years. You can't expect him to be bound to you indefinitely when you're never around."

"I know," Cross said, putting out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray. "I'm planning on bringing change in that."

"Is this partly where this proposition is coming from, Marian?" Komui asked quietly as Lenalee and Miranda harmonized the final notes of the song.

Cross never answered and left the room a moment later.

* * *

**_I can't promise the next update will be as swift as the previous ones have been, but I'll do my best! In the mean time, the review button is your friend!_**

ToBeContinued...

_**-BDP-**_


	4. The Chariot

**Okay, here's the next part! Thank you for the lovely words of encouragement those who reviewed gave me! This is kind of a transitional chapter, but it's important for the plot, so please enjoy and comment!**

**Warning: Hurting!Allen and some bad language**

**Other important fact: Marie isn't blind in this story!**

**Tarot Card Meaning: The chariot card is a card about struggle, may it be emotional or physical and a hard won battle that is needed in order to move forward.  
**

* * *

THE CHARIOT

* * *

It was the late afternoon when Allen and Lenalee arrived back home with Miranda and Lavi from the studio. They were all excited about the prospect of tomorrow and the fact that they were going to finally meet Tyki.

"So what's the game plan concerning Big Red?" Lenalee asked Allen when the four of them sat down in the small sunroom in the back of the living room that had a view of the woods behind their house.

Miranda stood up to close the sliding doors of the sunroom, just in case Big Red was around. They all knew what Cross had in mind for their band and it wasn't that they weren't happy with the opportunity, but they did feel they had cause to be a little weary of the offer since Komui had warned them about Cross maybe doing this so he could be closer to Allen.

"I just don't get why now!" Allen whispered, letting his head fall back against the back of the couch he was sitting on.

"Maybe he's come to realize how much you mean to him, Allen," Miranda said softly, leaning against the closed door with her hands on her back. "I don't want to defend him, but seen your history it's not strange to see him act this way…"

"You don't realize what you have until it's gone," Lavi agreed. "In this case, almost gone."

"If you really think that things will work out with Tyki, you have to tell Cross that now, Allen," Lenalee said with a nod, sliding down the arm of the couch to sit next to him. "Otherwise you'll be stringing the both of them along, which is unfair."

"But who's to say the man is actually in love with Allen?" Lavi said with a shrug. "We're only going on speculations here."

"He's right." Lenalee placed her hand on Allen's head when he scooted closer and leaned in against her. "You have to figure out what it is he really wants from you," she whispered softly, brushing his hair back a bit.

Allen sighed. "This is supposed to be easy, isn't it?"

Miranda shook her head and kneeled in front of him with a comforting smile. "We make it sound that way don't we? But we know it isn't and you will have to do it sooner or later."

Lavi cocked his head to the side from his sitting position on a reversed chair. "No other way out of this one, Al."

Allen sat up and leaned forwards with his head in his hands. "You're right you guys, but what if Cross takes away the proposition he made to Komui?"

"It would hurt our pride to think he only did it so he could be close to you and not because of our talent…" Lavi said with a grimace.

"Do you really think he'd do something like this?" Miranda asked Allen.

Allen closed his eyes and chuckled humorlessly. "The man is capable of a lot of despicable things, trust me…" He then stood up and took a breath. "I think he must be up stairs. I guess I'll go find him. Come find me when Marie and Kanda get here."

Lenalee jumped off the couch and pulled her hair into a short ponytail. "I'll get started on dinner."

"I'll help," Miranda offered following her out of the sunroom.

"I'll keep you guys company," Lavi said, standing from his chair and giving Allen a shoulder tap and a grin when the girls laughed in the distance.

Allen chuckled softly and then made his way to the hallway and the stairs.

* * *

The sound of an acoustic guitar playing greeted him when he got on the second floor of the house, which was entirely his own and consisted out of two rooms; a small lounge room and his bedroom and en-suite bathroom.

He recognized the melody and found himself smiling in front of his door in the hallway. He knew that if he kept listening, that he'd lose the will to push through, so he softly knocked and turned the doorknob.

Cross was sitting near the sole window of the lounge room in the black easy chair he'd bought himself on one of his past visits. His right ankle was resting on his left thigh, the guitar rested in his lap. He'd changed in to dark sweatpants and a muscle shirt, his naked feet moving to the rhythm of the song he was playing.

Allen closed the door softly and sat down on the red sofa near the entrance, wanting to listen to the song. It was the first song Cross had ever taught him how to play. He'd mastered it over the years, both on his guitar and on the piano, but Cross still made it sound far better than he ever could.

"How did the rest of the rehearsal go?"

Allen looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah, it went great."

Cross was still playing, his fingers dancing over the fretboard steadily as he plucked the strings of the instrument gently. "Did Komui tell you the news?"

"Yeah." Allen stood. "He did." He walked over to him and kneeled next to him on the floor, giving him a questioning look. "Why did you make such an offer, Marian?"

"Why did you snuck out of bed this morning, Allen?" Cross asked calmly, still playing.

Allen had dreaded that question and now that at it had been asked he still hadn't found an answer that would satisfy both him and Cross. He closed his eyes and rested his head on top of his folded arms on the arm of the chair, not answering.

The song neared its end and when it ended there was a silence in which they both didn't say anything.

It was actually a bit sad that in all those years that they'd known each other they never took the time to learn how to talk to each other.

And because of this, misunderstandings easily grew and were left unresolved with festering issues as a direct consequence.

"Did you fuck him?"

Allen's head shot up at that; not because of the bluntness of the question, but because Cross' voice had sounded so small. Almost hurt.

What was wrong with this picture?

Cross was looking at him silently, waiting for an answer.

"No," Allen replied softly, keeping his eyes locked with his to prove his sincerity.

Before he even had the time to blink, Cross kissed him, softly yet persistently, his left hand resting against Allen's face.

Allen could only stare at him when Cross sat back, his heart beating hard and fast in his chest. It'd been a long time since Cross had kissed him like that.

"Why…?" Allen whispered, taken aback by the rush of feelings he suddenly felt for the man and at the same time hating him for it. His throat clenched up and he could feel tears coming up. "Why?" he asked again, a bit more forcefully this time, wanting to blame him for making him feel so guilty and helplessly scared of what he was feeling.

Cross looked at him pensively, but didn't say anything. It wasn't that he was at a loss for words, but he hated feeling this exposed and unsure. For a brief second he realized that perhaps they were both feeling the exact same thing in that one moment. He sighed, "Your presence isn't an excuse for me to want Black Order in the tour. It's more the other way around,' he explained, averting his eyes.

Allen exhaled, feeling partly relieved, and partly more frustrated. Why the hell was it so hard for this man to just say what he felt?

"Black Order has become good enough to handle an opening act and because of that it gives me the opportunity to be here more."

_To be with you more._ Allen smiled and snorted at first, but felt like crying again the next moment.

Oh for crying out loud…

"Marian… I—"

"And then perhaps, if your careers take off for good we could give you a definitive contract with 14th Records, the same label as Delete's."

Allen realized all too well that Cross was stalling and it dawned on him that Cross knew what he wanted to say and yet…

Was he perhaps scared as well? Of what?

Allen decided that it was now or never.

"I love you," he whispered shakily, willing his tears to stay at bay.

Cross closed his eyes, placed the guitar on the floor next to him and pushed himself out of the chair, moving towards the bedroom on the left. He stopped in the doorway for a moment, wanting to say something, but deciding against it.

Allen got on his feet and ran to the door, grabbing him by an arm. "What is it, this thing between us? Tell me, Marian!" he whispered tearfully. "Is it worth pursuing or not? Because I _can't_ do what we're doing now for another ten years!"

There was a silence and then Cross pulled his wrist out of Allen's grasp. "Fine," was all he said, walking over to the bathroom and shutting the door.

Allen sunk to the floor in disbelieve, hitting the back of his head against the doorframe as twin tears fell down his cheeks quietly.

* * *

Laughter and the smell of oven cooked chicken and fried vegetables greeted him when he entered the kitchen half an hour later. He'd changed in more comfortable clothing by then and washed his face in Lenalee's bathroom on the first floor to hide the fact that he'd been crying not so long before.

"Hey you guys are here!" Allen said, putting up a cheerful smile when he saw both Marie and Kanda sitting around the kitchen island.

"Hey, Allen!" Marie greeted, lifted his big right hand for a shake.

"It's so good to see you, Marie! It's been way too long." Allen grinned when he was pulled into a brotherly hug by the bigger man.

"Same here," Marie smiled back.

Next to him sat Kanda who barely looked up at him and instead grunted a derisive; "Walker."

It'd been almost four years now, but apparently Kanda still hadn't forgiven Allen for gluing his ass to his chair once in high school. They'd never really gotten along over the years, but Kanda had been part of their clique for more than 7 years and there was an unspoken bond between them that couldn't be replaced.

That and of course, the fact that Kanda secretly loved Lenalee.

Allen grinned as he walked past the new owner of the new martial arts dojo downtown. "Mr Tight Ass," he greeted.

"What did you say?" Kanda replied with an angry scowl.

Allen leaned into him as if to kiss him, smiling at his surprised expression as he reached for a grape from the fruit bowl on the island. "Relax Yu," he murmured softly, "it was in no way meant as a compliment." He laughed and pulled back. "Sheesh, you're so easy!"

Both Lenalee and Lavi chuckled and Allen jumped away from Kanda's grappling hands. "Whoops, sorry. Didn't mean for it to come out that way, my bad!"

Kanda stood up from his stool and growled. "You stupid son of a—"

"Kanda!" Lenalee sternly said, "Not in my house!"

Kanda grunted and rolled his eyes. "Then keep him on a leash, Lee!"

"Maybe you're the one who should be put on a leash, with that temper of yours Ba-Kanda*! My house, my rules!" she yelled back.

"Well, your rules suck ass, woman!" he hollered in turn.

Lenalee put her hands on her hips. "Maybe so, but they're still mine!"

Allen sat down in the cane chair by the frosted glass wall and watched the scene with an amused smile.

"How long do you think it'll take for them to realize?" Lavi asked, leaning against the sink near Allen.

"That they actually love each other? Who knows?" Allen shrugged, "It's been like this for years already, I've sort of given up hope." His eyes rolled towards Marie and Miranda as he said that, watching her sit herself in his lap and laughing when he kissed her in her neck. Her engagement ring glistened in the overhead lights when she reached for his face over her shoulder and kissed his lips lovingly.

Allen averted his gaze with a smile and looked at Lenalee and Kanda who were still fighting, now by the stove. Lenalee was waving a wooden spoon threateningly in front of her while Kanda was staring her down with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Sorry I didn't come and get you like promised, but I had a feeling you'd want some time alone," Lavi softly said, hands in his pockets. "From the way your eyes are slightly swollen and red in the corners, I think I was right to do so…"

"I told him I loved him and he reacted just the way I knew he would, if not worse," Allen whispered, pulling his feet up on the low chair and resting his chin on his knees. "He assured me he made the business offer based on our talent though."

Lavi dismissed that last bit and scrunched down next to him. "So are you two broken up or…?"

Allen looked at him and shrugged. "I want to think so… The thing that hurt me the most was the way he pretended not to care. And yet I…" he took a steadying breath and chuckled dejectedly. "I need to move forwards. I'm tired of hurting over him."

"That's going to be hard with him now being here and all…"

Allen nodded, "But Tyki is going to be around. I hope. If he and I can make it work Cross shouldn't be a problem anymore." He looked up at his friend when he noted his silence. "I know what you must be thinking but it isn't anything like that. I really like Tyki."

"Enough to maybe love him one day?"

Allen nodded without a second thought. "Yeah."

"Then if you're sure about it, I'm 100% with you," Lavi said, raising his right thumb.

Allen grinned happily. "Thanks Lav-Lav," he whispered.

Lavi chuckled. "That's what you used to call me in pre-school!"

"I still like it," Allen said playfully, shrugging.

"Fine, just don't say it when I'm in company of women."

Allen laughed.

"Alright everyone! Grab a dish, plates or cutlery and move to the dinner room!" Lenalee exclaimed, taking off her apron and hanging it away.

Everyone moved into action and grabbed said items from the isle and cutlery cupboards.

"Allen, is Cross coming?" Lenalee asked.

"I'll go get him," Lavi offered, walking off into the hall.

Allen grabbed the bowl of mashed potatoes; Lenalee took the one with the fresh salad. "Everything alright?" she whispered so only he could hear.

"It will be," Allen replied, chuckling when Lenalee gave him a playful elbow push to his side.

* * *

"Where will you be staying?" Allen asked from his sitting position on his bed. He was watching Cross pack his travel bag now; dinner had been over for hours and all their guests had left.

"At the Ark Hotel down at Innocence Beach," Cross replied, zipping up his bag and coming to sit next to Allen.

Tender lips fell on his forehead and Allen closed his eyes, reaching for Cross' jacket with both his hands and holding on.

Cross held him close, smiling into his hair. "I won't be far, Allen. I never intend to be again."

Allen blushed at that and snorted. So now he chose to express his feelings? He lifted his head and kissed him a last time, taking his face in his hands gently. Their foreheads rested against each other after the kiss, Allen looking down at his hands that took hold of his jacket again for comfort and Cross looking at his lowered eyelids and hands wordlessly. After a moment Allen let go and Cross stood, took his bag from the floor and left the room.

Lenalee entered his room not much later, having waited behind the door to his rooms for Cross to come out. She sat down on the bed next to him and took him in her arms when he leaned into her.

"Sleep here tonight?"

She closed her eyes at the teary tone of his voice and nodded. "You don't even have to ask," she whispered back, pulling the covers from the bed behind them and settling with him between the sheets a few moments later, holding him close to her heart.

* * *

*Ba-Kanda: I took this one from the anime(non dub). For those who don't watch it, it's a contraction of the word 'baka' (idiot, stupid in japanese) and 'Kanda'. So it means Stupid Kanda. I loved that one tehee!

_**Remember: reviews make me update so much faster... (what bribery?)**_

ToBeContued...

**_-BDP-_**


	5. The Lovers

**KYAHAHA! Ahem... welcome back! Once again, thank you for the words of encouragement (bribes) you gave me! As promised, here is the next chap. It is again a bit transitional, but we're getting to the good parts real soon!  
**

**Warning: Some bad language and... TykixAllen fluff (the smut is coming promise!)**

**Tarot Card Meaning:**** This card is about finding something or someone who is so much a part of yourself, so perfectly attuned to you and you to them, that you cannot, dare not resist. In interpretation, the card indicates that the querent (Allen) has come across, or will come across a person, career, challenge or thing that they will fall in love with.**

* * *

THE LOVERS

* * *

The next day dawned, bright and full of promises.

When Allen opened his eyes that morning, he found Lenalee grinning at him next to his bed.

He groaned and closed his eyes, pulling the sheets over his head and rolling onto his other side. "It's too early in the morning to be that chipper, Lenalee…"

Lenalee chuckled and pulled the covers off of him again. "Get dressed! There's someone here to see you!"

Allen grabbed his pillow from underneath his head and put it over his ears. "I don't care, I feel like shit…"

She crawled onto the bed and laid herself behind him, spooning her body against his. ""You _look_ like shit, sweetie," she said worriedly, pulling the pillow from his head and brushing his hair back with a hand. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Barely…" Allen blinked his eyes open. "What time is it?"

"A little after 8…"

He sighed and closed his eyes again, already drifting back off to sleep.

"I would let you sleep for a bit longer but I know you need to see this person. Does tall, dark and handsome ring any bells?" Lenalee said softly.

"Lenalee…" Allen said in an annoyed tone.

She smiled. "Tyki is here."

Allen froze. "Tyki?" he said quietly.

Lenalee nodded excitedly. "He's waiting in the sunroom."

Allen jumped out of bed and dashed into the bathroom. "How long has he been here?"

Lenalee sat up against the head board, grinning. "Not even 5 minutes."

"Shit! Why didn't you just tell me he was here in the first place!"

"I just did!" Lenalee laughed. "Stop fretting. He's not going anywhere."

"We were supposed to meet at the gig later, but that's not before 3 o'clock!"

Lenalee moved to the side of the bed and looked at the picture of her and Allen standing on the right nightstand. "Get a clue, will you? He wants to spend the day with you!"

The sound of water falling in the shower was then heard and she stood to enter the bathroom, sitting herself down on the toilet flap a moment later.

"So, what do you think of him, Lenalee?" Allen asked from behind the frosted glass door.

"Seriously? Where have they been keeping him?" she said, smirking. "How come you always get the good looking ones?"

Allen chuckled. "I'm just… not that picky."

Lenalee scoffed and laughed, "And I am?"

He rinsed the latter off his body and reached for his shampoo. "Kanda," was all he said, pouring the mint-scented gel onto his hand.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled a smile her friend couldn't see and blushed. "He's an idiot."

Allen grinned. He may not have seen her smile or blush, but he did notice the pause before her rather… uncomplicated answer. "Pi~icky," he chanted.

Lenalee stood from her seat and shook out her hair, still blushing. "Anyhow… I'm going to go keep our guest company," she announced, glad to see Allen be himself again. "Don't be long."

"I'll be there in a few!" Allen replied happily.

* * *

Allen appeared fully clothed 10 minutes later in loose fitting jeans and a white tank top. He stood silently behind Tyki who was looking at their garden and the woods beyond.

"We once found a deer eating our flowers."

Tyki turned to him in surprise, smiling when his eyes fell on Allen.

Allen smiled back, his hands in his back pockets and his head cocked to the side.

"I hear that's a fairly common problem here," Tyki whispered back, moving nearer.

Allen bit his lower lip and let him wrap his hands around his hips, taking a step closer as Tyki pulled him to him. "Really?" he asked huskily, fixing his lips with his eyes as they slowly descended onto his.

"Oh yeah…" Tyki murmured decidedly before kissing him softly.

Allen kissed him back, moaning softly when Tyki wrapped his arms around his back and held on.

They broke apart and Tyki licked his own lips approvingly. "Good morning, Allen."

"Good morning, Tyki," Allen whispered back, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"I just couldn't wait to see you," Tyki said softly, rubbing the tip of their noses together. "I hope you'll forgive me being here without an invitation."

"You're so forgiven…" Allen said, kissing him again. "You have no idea how much I needed this."

Tyki frowned a little and embraced him. "Everything alright?" he asked, running a hand through Allen's soft locks.

"I'm going through some personal stuff right now, but your being here makes me feel a lot better," he whispered, leaning into his touch. "You have no idea."

Tyki nodded and kissed him on the side of his head. "I'm glad I'm here then."

Allen smiled, feeling thankful for his understanding.

Lenalee watched them from the archway in the living room, smiling gently at the couple.

* * *

"_Welcome back! To those of you joining us just now, this is Tom and Max live from Millennium Beach at the Q-Hits FM Beach Bash! And with us here is the rock band that has made many local heads turn! Not only because of their sound and their style, but also because of their loyal and rapidly growing fanbase from which, I am told, only a fraction is here with us today!"_

"_You've said it, Tom. There must be over 300 fans gathered around the podium all waiting to see their favorite band perform. Well, they're sitting right here with us people; Black Order!"_

All five of them were sitting across from the two radio jocks on the podium, smiling and waving at the many people that had come to see them play.

"So, you guys," the female jock named Max said, addressing them with a large smile, "it's safe to say that you five are the next big thing in the music world. What do you think of that? How does it make you feel?"

Lenalee looked at her friends, silently asking if any of them wanted to answer.

"What's there to say?" Lavi said into his microphone, grinning, "It feels awesome to be able to do what you like to do and have people actually like it too!" Some girls in the crowd cried his name and Lavi chuckled into his microphone.

"Yeah," Allen agreed and then paused when the cries in the crows got louder at the sound of his voice. He waved at them and grinned. "We never expected this much attention, but what we got feels great so far!"

"Yeah," Lenalee, Chaoji and Miranda agreed.

"And it's only because of you guys that we're here," Miranda added with a thankful smile, giggling shyly when some men cried out her name.

"But honestly said; it still feels surreal at times!" Chaoji said and they all agreed. "I hope we can live up to the expectations."

The jockeys nodded in understanding. "Speaking about expectations," Tom said, "the latest rumor is that Black Order is going to be the opening act for Delete's next tour! Is it true? Can you confirm anything?"

The crowd held their breath as one man and then erupted in more cheers and encouraging acclamations.

"Whoa, word travels fast!" Lavi said in surprise.

Lenalee lifted her microphone. "We only heard about it the other day, but nothing has been confirmed yet I'm afraid. Our management is still in talks with Delete's management about it."

"Well, if it were to happen, I'd definitely buy a ticket to see the nearest show!" Max said, turning towards the crowd, who cheered in approval.

"So I understand the five of you grew up together?" Max wondered.

"Yeah, um… Lenalee, Allen and Lavi go back as far as preschool, I think," Chaoji answered, pointing at his friends who nodded. "Miranda and I met them in high school."

"And how old are you guys again?"

"I just turned 22," Miranda said, pointing at herself. "Allen and Lenalee are 20 and Lavi and Chaoji are 21."

"All so young… How is work on your first album going?" Tom continued, "Is it still set for a Christmas release?"

"We start recording our new songs the day after tomorrow," Allen answered. "We already have some material done, but we want to give ourselves the time to get it right."

Max grinned. "So we can expect your first baby in nine months?"

They all laughed.

"I guess so, yeah!" Lenalee smirked.

"Thank you guys for accepting our invitation today!" Max then announced. "We all hope to see you make it far!"

"Thank you," they said in unison.

"Alright, I know you've all been waiting for this," Tom said, standing and turning to the crowd. "Black Order has agreed to give us a taste of their new work!"

The crowd erupted again.

Max stood as well and some technicians come onto the podium to take away their stools and to move some of the heavier music equipment that had been standing in the back of the podium forwards.

The group had gotten off the podium for a moment to get their instruments and now waited patiently for Max to introduce them.

"Please give a warm applause to our very own Black Order! Give it up! _Give it up!_"

Everybody was cheering and clapping the moment the group went back on and took their positions; Lenalee behind the microphone, Miranda behind the second microphone with her bass guitar in hand, Allen behind his keyboard, Lavi with his electric guitar next to Chaoji who was sitting behind his drums.

"What's up, Millennium Beach!" Lenalee yelled through her microphone, nodding approvingly when the masses replied to her enthusiastically. "Alright! I hope you're going to like this song, so listen up!"

The crowd quieted and then Chaoji hit his drumsticks in the air as an introduction to the mid-tempo rock song that followed.

* * *

"That was awesome, you guys!" Komui exclaimed half an hour later as the band came into their tent, positively glowing from their performance.

Lenalee capered excitedly towards her brother, bottle of water in hand. "Thank you, bro!" she whispered, hugging him.

"They were really feeling us back there!" Lavi said, grinning. "And all those chicks that were screaming our names…" he chuckled, elbowing Chaoji playfully who chuckled back.

Miranda sat down on a low traveling box and took a sip from her water, throwing her hair back. "It was great."

They all moved closer to Miranda and put their right fists in a circle. "Let's bring it on louder next time, you guys!" Lenalee said.

"Bring it on louder!" They all replied before clapping in their hands.

"You've all done very well," came a familiar voice from behind them. They all turned to look and found Cross standing there with a small smile.

"Hey!" Lenalee said, walking over. "I didn't know you were coming here today!"

"I was close by," he replied. "I kind of need to keep an eye on you since I'm here and all. You did a good safe during the interview about your opening act for Delete," he told her.

"Yeah, how come they know about that?" Lavi questioned, sitting himself next to Miranda.

"That's because Road put it in her blog; she's pretty excited about it too," Cross answered, scratching the top of his head.

"Delete's Road?" Chaoji wondered, eyes growing wide.

Cross nodded, folding his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I told them about your possible collaboration. She's even proposed a musical collaboration."

"As in a single?" Lenalee asked, blinking.

"Yeah, why not?" Cross said with a shrug.

"It's not at all a bad idea," Komui said. "Bring out a single before the tour to boost both bands' popularity and it's excellent marketing for your album which is still in need of a leading single."

"Sounds like the both of you already talked about this," Lenalee remarked with a slight frown.

"Are you saying you don't want this?" Komui asked.

Lenalee looked at her friends for a moment. "It's not that we don't want it; it's just we would like to make it on our own. You know ride on our own wave of success, not hitchhike on Delete's."

"Look, let's tell things the way they are alright?" Cross said calmly. "You're up and coming new talent. In this town you're big, but in the rest of the country let alone the rest of the world you will have to fight for time in the spotlight. It's best to put childlike thinking like that to the side, believe me."

"Hey!" Lavi and Chaoji said in protest.

"You guys, look, we're not only looking in terms of profit here," Komui said with raised arms to try and calm the boys down. "We're really not. But if you want to become big, you have to take good help wherever you find it and an opportunity like this won't come by very often. I mean come on; Delete is asking _you_ for a collaboration!"

"Where is Allen?" Cross suddenly asked, only then noticing his absence.

"Oh, uh, he's outside," Lenalee said, quickly averting her eyes and wincing.

"With a friend," Lavi added.

"Yeah, he'll be in soon," Miranda said, nodding.

"Well, he kind of needs to hear this too," Cross said, legging over to the exit of the tent.

"Well, we can always tell him later?" Chaoji said with a nonchalant shrug.

Cross gave them all a suspicious look. Even Komui was now wondering what the hell was going on. "Sure, but is there any particular reason why I get the feeling the four of you want to keep me from finding Allen _right now_?"

They all remained silent, albeit with guilty expressions.

"Miranda," Komui asked, knowing that she was a very honest person from nature, "where is Allen?"

She sighed. "With a friend with whom he'd set up to meet," she said softly and then shook her head. "We don't know where they went, so don't ask."

Cross grunted and walked out of the tent, angrily pushing the flap of the tent to the side.

Komui scowled. "What is going on?"

"Cross and Allen kind of broke up last night," Lenalee explained.

"Ah?" Komui said, blinking.

"As in no more meaningless sex," Lavi clarified.

Komui's eyebrows shot up. "Oh."

"Thing is," Miranda added, "Allen loves Cross, but he didn't want for them to go on the way they did."

Komui nodded. "Hm."

"And Cross sort of told him that he wasn't giving up yet," Lenalee sighed.

"But in Allen's eyes it's over," Chaoji stated.

"And this 'friend' he's meeting is…?" Komui wondered.

Lenalee sighed again. "His new boyfriend, yeah. Tyki Mikk."

"What?" Komui exploded. "The mogul?"

"Yeah," they said in unison.

"Oh, the press is going to have a field day with this…" Komui whispered, hitting his palm over his forehead.

"It's not like they're doing anything wrong," Lenalee said, shrugging. "They seem to genuinely care about each other."

"I hope he's ready for this," Komui sighed.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Lavi said cheerfully. "I'm sure this Tyki guy knows how to handle the press."

"No," Komui shook his head, "I'm not talking about Tyki Mikk, but about Cross. The man has an overall tendency of having unexpected timing and he's very protective of Allen. I think it's almost safe to say that he's started to love the kid. I don't think he'll be letting him go that easily."

"The tour…" Lenalee whispered, understanding.

"Yeah, that too, though it still might be a coincidence," Komui said pensively. "But he also knows how to appeal to Allen's heart."

"I'm not worried!" Lavi exclaimed suddenly. "Allen knows what he's doing and he knows what's best for himself, so I trust him."

"Yeah, me too," Miranda and Chaoji agreed.

Lenalee smiled at them and nodded. "Yeah, it's going to be fine…"

She said that, but a part of her still worriedly looked at the partly open tent flap.

Just what exactly was Cross capable of?

* * *

The beach they were walking on was for the most part deserted and the footsteps they left behind them faded away with each roll of waves onto the shore.

"I should book you guys to play in my club before you become too famous to play in small places like mine!"

Allen laughed and kicked his naked foot over the incoming waves playfully. "Like that'll happen anytime soon!" he said, squeezing their joined hands. "And yours is no small place and you know it!"

Tyki laughed and Allen leaned into him, receiving a kiss on the crown of his head.

They walked on in silence for a while until Allen caught Tyki staring at him. "What?"

Tyki stopped walking and pulled him back gently by their joined hands. "He didn't treat you right, did he?"

Allen stilled. "What…?"

"I didn't mean to pry, but I saw the pictures in your house this morning, the ones with you and a tall redhead…" he whispered in an apologizing manner. "I got curious and when you told me you were going through some things, I—"

"Three years," Allen whispered back, looking over the sea. "But I couldn't do it anymore."

"Ah," Tyki whispered.

"Yeah, I've known him since I was ten so it was hard, it still is hard, but it just wasn't working," he said with a shake of his head. "And I needed to move on."

"I'm sorry for opening up a healing wound," Tyki said.

"No," Allen shook his head, reaching for his face and letting his fingers playing with the curly tips of his dark locks. "I was going to have to tell you this sooner or later, because I…" he fell silent and blushed.

Tyki grinned knowingly. "Because?" he pressed gently, "You want this to work between us?"

"Yeah, and…"

"You want our relationship to be an honest one," he finished.

"Ok, stop that!" Allen said with a playful scowl. "That's downright scary right there!"

"How is it scary?" Tyki whispered moving closer. "It just means I can follow your train of thought and therefore understand how you feel so I can—"

"Be there when I need you the most?" Allen finished, chuckling.

"See? You're doing it too," Tyki said amusedly. "Nothing scary to it. As long as we understand each other there's no need to feel insecure, right? I'll never lie to you, Allen."

Allen looked up at him and lifted himself on the tip of his toes to kiss him. "How can you be real?" he then whispered softly.

"Just like this is." Tyki kissed him again, softly and gently.

"Hmm, I could get used to this," Allen murmured, beckoning him closer with his index for more.

Tyki laughed and gave him a series of small rapid kisses on his lips that had Allen chuckling. "So are your friends willing to come tonight?"

"Yeah, but I'd like for you to put two more names on the guest list if that's okay?"

"Sure, no problem," he whispered, wrapping his arms around his shoulders, careful to not let the tongs he held in his right hand hit him around his ears. "As long as I can have you for myself in our private lounge."

Allen smiled mischievously. "And here I wanted to show you my killer moves on the dance floor…"

"There'll be plenty of time for that, but…" Tyki bit his lower lip. "I can't help but thinking about waking up next to you tomorrow morning…"

Allen blushed hard at that and gulped, wanting for his heart to stop beating so frantically in his chest. "Tyki…"

"I know…" he whispered against his lips. "Too much, too soon?"

Allen sighed, fighting against the intoxicating scent of Tyki's skin. "No," he murmured throatily. "It's just that… if there was somewhere we could go like right now and you had the rest of the afternoon off…" he breathed, groaning in displeasure when Tyki moved his lips away playfully and had him biting at air instead of his lip.

"Can't wait to know how you'll feel against me, Allen," Tyki whispered in his ear, licking its lobe wantonly.

"You're such a tease…" Allen said with a moan.

Tyki moved back and took his head in his hands, looking him in the eyes. "I know…"

The kiss that followed felt something akin to instant combustion.

Tyki devoured him with his lips and tongue, barely giving him time to breathe or a chance to do anything else but to take the many nips and bites Tyki assaulted his mouth with.

"At what time must I send the car for you?" Tyki breathed against his cheek in between kisses.

Allen let his head fall back and his eyes rolled into his head when Tyki continued to kiss his way down his jaw and throat. "A-Around 11.30?" he breathed back, stifling a groan when their hips bumped into each other and something hard brushed against his crotch. "Oh fuck…" he whimpered, pulling him away from his throat before they ended up taking it too far.

Tyki pushed his hair back with his one free hand and licked his now swollen lips. "That's good. It'll be there."

Allen nodded, feeling as if he'd been drugged and grinned stupidly when Tyki moved in for a goodbye kiss. "Your kisses will be the end of me…" he murmured, making Tyki chuckle. "Just go… go before I end up raping you…"

Tyki laughed, "That wouldn't be such a bad thing!" He then began to step backwards in the direction of the steps leading to the promenade a few feet higher, one of his hands pressed on top of his heart as he bit his lip.

Allen grinned, but kept himself from giggling like a little schoolgirl. He turned to begin walking in the direction they'd come from, glancing over his shoulder now and then to see Tyki standing on the border of the promenade, looking at him silently and protectively with his hands in his pockets.

There was no greater feeling than this, Allen thought to himself, unable to remember the last time anyone made him feel like this; so anxious and yet excited and more hopeful than ever before…

It surprised him how easy it felt.

And he realized that it would also be so easy to fall in love with Tyki Mikk.

* * *

_**(keep the bribes coming, they really stimulate my writing speed somehow...)**_

_ToBeContinued..._

_**-BDP-**_


	6. Wheel of Fortune

**Gaah! It took me forever to write this! Somehow I found it hard to write this chap... oh well, I hope it came out okay. By the way, the name of the chapters are named after Tarot Cards, and yes their meaning reflect the content of each chapter.**

** Thank you for the bribes, dear bribers!**

**Warning: Oh yes, you've guessed it: it's the Tyki/Allen smut chapter! Oh noes! And just in case you find typoes, bear in mind that this is unbetaed for the moment, it will get fixed as I re-read this later on.**

**Tarot Card Meaning: This card is about good luck, big things, change and all-around fortune. An abundance and change that just happens and brings with it great joy.  
**

* * *

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

* * *

The sun was disappearing into the sea when she spotted him sitting in a corner of the terrace of the small café he'd ask her to meet him.

She put her bag on an empty seat and sat down across from him, taking off her sunglasses.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" she asked softly.

Cross put down his cup of coffee and shook his hair away from his sunglasses and sat back, the chain earrings he wore glittering in the dying sunlight. "Thanks for coming, Lenalee."

Lenalee sighed and waited patiently for him to explain himself. When she and Allen had gotten home earlier, she noticed a voicemail message waiting on her phone from Cross. Once she'd listened to what it said, she left the house again, reassuring Allen she'd be back plenty in time before they had to leave for 'Tease'.

"I need your help," he announced, turning his head towards the incoming sea breeze.

Lenalee shook her head at the waiter that asked her if she wanted to order. "With Allen, I presume?"

"I want him back," Cross simply stated, looking at her again.

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. "You should ask yourself the question why he left in the first place. Why did he leave when he was obviously ready to give you everything he had?"

The older man was silent for a moment and then took off his sunglasses, giving her a determined stare. "I know I'm at fault and as the more experienced one of the both of us I should've handled our relationship better."

Lenalee was glad he wasn't making excuses, but his mea culpa wasn't convincing her completely. "Even though Allen told you that he loves you, why in his right mind would he want to get back together with you? He's met someone else."

"Don't get me wrong, Lenalee," Cross then said with a shake of his head. "I just want for him and me to be the way we were before. Before I decided to change the close friendship we had into a sexual relationship. I realize now how much more he means to me and I want us to take the time to fully explore the possibilities, but we can't do that as lovers so I want for us to start over, as friends."

Lenalee raised an eyebrow at that. "And what do you need me for?"

"Even if I walked up to him now and asked for us to be friends, I wouldn't be able to do that without damaging our relationship further. I need for you to tell him that. That, and that I'm sorry," he whispered, picking up his cup of coffee again. "I don't want to lose him, Lenalee and I only want to see him happy."

"And what if him being happy equals having you out of the picture?" she questioned.

"Do you truly believe Allen to be someone who can break lifelong ties just like that?" he asked, smiling sadly. "No, Allen isn't like that. Even if it hurts him, he'll keep trying until he's sure he can't go any further."

Lenalee looked down at the table, finding truth in his words. The fact that Allen had waited this long to break it off with Cross was proof of his perseverance.

"I've been taking advantage of that quality of his, I know now," Cross continued, looking at the promenade and the beach behind her. "And I'm sure he's realized that I was faking indifference when he told me how he felt yesterday. Truth is that I had never felt more unsure of myself than in that moment."

"Why?"

He chuckled softly. "Do you really need to ask? Does my lifestyle scream 'healthy and stable environment' to you?"

"So you'd prefer seeing him with someone else even though you love him?" Lenalee shook her head, "I don't get it; is it just cowardice or some misplaced feeling of nobleness?"

"Perhaps a bit of both…"

She looked at him for a long time, trying to figure out what she was supposed to think about all of this. "Allen is like my little brother, you know that right? I've always seen you as a fucked up version of my older brother too. Seeing Allen hurt over you was the worst feeling in the world to me. I hate seeing him crying himself to sleep, so I swear I'll bust a cap in your ass if what you just told me is one big pile of shit."

Cross shook his head in defense. "Lenalee, I really—"

"I know for a fact that Allen misses you," Lenalee continued, waving away his protest with a hand. "But I also know that he's trying desperately to put you behind him. So for now, I think it's best for everyone if you kept your surprise appearances to a strict professional minimum."

Cross sighed and pursed his lips. "Will you give him the message?"

"I will, but don't expect an immediate reaction," she said with a shrug. "I think he needs to give his relationship with Tyki a chance first."

He frowned at that. "Tyki as in Tyki Mikk?"

Lenalee raised both eyebrows and shook her head indifferently. "Yeah?"

Cross looked down, as if thinking about something and then shook it off. "No, nothing. Why does his name sounds so familiar though?"

"Because he's this real estate mogul that has been buying up property all over the place?" she told him.

"Hm, probably," Cross whispered, not sounding sure.

Lenalee looked at her watch and then grabbed her bag next to her. "Well, I gotta go."

He watched her stand. "I hear you're going out tonight."

"Yeah," she said. "To Tyki's place, 'Tease'."

"Sounds like fun," Cross said unconvincingly.

Lenalee smiled politely, waved and walked away.

Cross watched her go for a moment, frowning again and then took out his phone to make a phone call.

* * *

"He really said that?"

Lenalee nodded, sitting herself down on the carpeted floor in front of her dresser. She opened the lowest drawer and began taking out her sexiest lingerie sets and laying them next to her on the floor. "Yeah, he did," she whispered, looking up at Allen sitting on the chair in front of her vanity.

Allen pointed at the dark blue lace and satin combo. "Huh."

"Yeah," she said, picking up the set and walking into her bathroom to put it on. "I still don't know what to make of it, Allen. All I can advise you to do is to be really careful."

"Hmm," Allen replied, turning towards the mirror and looking at himself for a moment before applying the black eyeliner he held in his hand. "I don't have time to be thinking about him now anyhow."

Lenalee walked back out of her bathroom, fastening her strapless bra in the front. "What time is it?"

"Quarter past ten," he said, turning around in his seat and standing. "The rest of the gang should be here around eleven."

She opened her closet and began to take out clothes and throwing them on her bed. "So, I take it you won't be coming home tonight?"

"I sure hope not…" Allen whispered, plopping down on her bed.

She plopped down next to him and giggled. "I want to hear all about it afterwards, okay?"

He chuckled and let himself fall back, looking up at the ceiling. "I can hardly wait… I swear there's so much chemistry between us that it's dripping from the seams."

Lenalee groaned and fell back next to him. "Remind me how pitiful my sex-life is, why don't you!"

Allen laughed.

"And if you even say _his_ name, I'll bust your ass!"

"Oh, but I didn't say anything!" he said, prodding her naked belly. "Why won't you just admit it already?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she said, sitting up again.

"But seriously, Lenalee?" Allen whispered, sitting up as well. "The man is an idiot, but –and I can't believe I'm going to say this—he honestly cares about you. No, wait— he'd venerate the ground you step on if he was smart enough to know how—"

She snorted and tucked her hair behind an ear.

"You always put others first," Allen continued, "You're always there with some sound advice when I need you. Now it's time you took some of mine; give it up to Kanda!"

She laughed and stood with her hands on her hips. "You know, the sad thing is that I've begun to consider it too…" she said, hanging her head.

Allen grinned. "What, did the batteries of your favorite toy wear out?"

"Oh you bitch!" she laughed, grabbing a pillow and whacking him over his head with it.

Allen cried in surprise and fell off the bed with the force of the blow. "Ow, bitch!" he laughed, "Don't damage the package!"

She threw her hair back and huffed. "Oh hush and help me pick out something to wear!"

"That," Allen said, crawling back onto his feet and pointing at a miniscule black tulip dress with a golden sequined skirt and black satin pleated bodice. "With those black ankle boots you've never worn."

"The ones with the peep toe or the lace finish?" she asked walking over to her shoe closet and picking a golden shoe box and a red one from the top shelf. "These?"

Allen shrugged. "Try them on later. And just in case you get lucky tonight it's just one pull of the zipper and you're practically naked."

She thought it over. "Hm. You're right."

They laughed and then Lenalee dropped the boxes she was holding on her bed and beckoned him closer so she could fix his hair like she promised.

* * *

The doorbell rang at exactly 11 and Allen jumped down the flight of stairs excitedly, opening the door with a big grin.

"Whoa, who are you people?" Allen cried, laughing when he let his friends come inside. "Y'all look too good!"

"You're the one to talk!" Lavi said, grabbing onto Allen's black hat and wriggling his hand.

"Looks like someone pulled out all of the stops, too," Miranda said, wearing tight, straight black leather pants and peep toe stiletto's underneath a white satin off the shoulder top with long puff sleeves.

"Oh this old thing?" Allen whispered with a blush, pulling up his white skinny jeans he wore underneath a white v-neck shirt and a black vest with black on black angel wings embroidery on its back. On his feet he wore his black vintage Dr Martens boots on top of his jeans.

"I like your necklaces," Miranda commented, walking in further with a grin, closely followed by Marie and Chaoji.

"Kanda's coming, he's parking the car," Chaoji said, patting Allen on his shoulder as he walked in.

"Is everyone here?" Lenalee asked, descending the stairs carefully on her 5 inch heels.

Allen looked up at her and began closing the door. "Yeah, we're just waiting for Kanda—"

"The fuck, beansprout? Keep the door open!" Kanda said, pushing the door open again as he stepped inside the house.

Allen rolled his eyes and waved his hand as in a welcome, walking over to the living room where the rest had gone.

"Why do you always have to be so crass, Kanda?" Lenalee reprimanded, descending the last few steps.

Kanda rolled his eyes her way and noticeably froze for a second, his eyes going over her attire more than once.

Lenalee was putting in her earrings when she felt him staring. She looked up at him slowly, taking in his outfit and holding back an appreciative sigh. He was wearing dark straight jeans with black ankle boots and a small designer belt, a white tucked in shirt with the top buttons left open and a long marine coat with a popped collar. And to finish the look off he'd left his long hair loose.

She cleared her throat, went with a hand over her dress and walked off, just so he wouldn't see her blush. Hard.

Kanda closed the door slowly, taking a small steadying breath and shaking his head at how hot Lenalee was looking.

This was going to be an interesting night.

* * *

There was a long file of people waiting in front of 'Tease' that night, as there were on any other night. Grim looking bouncers stood by the large purple doors of the venue, checking every name on the guest list and taking orders from inside the club and signaling important arrivals with their headphones.

The limousine that had come and picked them up half an hour earlier stopped in front of the red carpet and a moment later the door opened, letting in light flashes and excited cries from the crows waiting in front of the door.

"Is the press supposed to know we're here?" Lavi asked, moving to the door with a questioning look at his friends.

Allen shrugged, shaking his head. "I don't think so…"

"In any case, get a move on!" Lenalee said, giving Lavi a small push with the tip of her shoe.

"Hey!" Lavi cried, stumbling out of the car and into the flashing lights.

They all laughed and then moved towards the exit in turns until they were all standing on the red carpet.

"_It's Black Order!"_

"Oh crap…" Allen said from between his smiling teeth, looking a bit worried at the mass that was only held back by a flimsy looking velvet rope.

"Just keep moving towards the door," Kanda said, taking Lenalee by her shoulders and moving her hurriedly towards the bouncers who were calling for reinforcements in the form of security agents.

Lenalee waved at the people jumping excitedly and screaming their names. She then looked up at Kanda who was only looking forward and blushed again.

"You alright?" Marie asked Miranda, holding her hand as they quickly followed behind Kanda and Lenalee.

"Yeah—"

A photographer suddenly appeared and a flash of light blinded them a moment later.

"Hey!" Marie's voice hollered, scaring the man away. "Miranda?" he then whispered, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and sheltering her from more flashing lights with his coat.

"I'm fine," she whispered back, stepping up the small step and inside the door.

By the time Allen, Lavi and Chaoji reached the bouncer, more bouncers and security guards poured out of the building to push away the paparazzi and the fans at a reasonable distance.

"What the fuck…?" Allen whispered in slight awe as he looked back at the crazed crowd.

Lavi and Chaoji both shook their heads. "Okay… that was different…" Chaoji commented, slightly put off.

"Hey Walker!" Kanda growled, walking over to him. "Wasn't your boyfriend supposed to make sure we got here in one piece?"

"Fuck off, asshole!" Allen said, "How the fuck was he supposed to know it was going to get this crazy?"

"Let's just move out of the lobby, alright?" Lenalee whispered, pulling Kanda away from Allen. "We're here to have a good time."

She looked back at Allen with a small inquisitive frown, which Allen answered with a questioning shrug.

"Where _is_ Tyki?" Lavi wondered as they walked towards the vestiary to hand in their coats and jackets.

"I think he's waiting upstairs," Allen said, nodding towards the stairs ahead that bathed in a purple light and lead up. Some heavy bass music could be heard coming from there too.

"Are you the Allen Walker party?"

They all turned to their left and found a short man standing there with a clipboard in his hands and a headphone.

"Yeah," Allen said.

The man said something into his microphone and then nodded at them. "Please follow me. Mr Mikk is expecting you."

They followed the man into a purple colored corridor left from the steps leading up and then turned left, went up a set of stairs and then entered a set of gold pleated doors.

The room they got ushered into was nothing short of beautiful. The purple walls were decorated with black baroque motifs and the warm lighting gave the room a sultry feeling. Three large sitting areas in the form of half circles were scattered around the place, each with its own curtain for privacy and drinking tables. On the far right was a large window that gave a view of the dance floor room below and the many people dancing to the music that was subdued from within.

There was a bar on the left and menus were readily placed on the small tables.

"Please choose your seats," the short man said and then moved to the set of black doors that stood on the opposite side of the golden ones. "Waiters will be with you shortly. Please enjoy your night at 'Tease'."

He disappeared behind the doors and they sat down in the seats closest to the window that gave onto the dance floor.

"This place is huge!" Lavi said, taking the black and purple menu from the small table.

"It's impressive," Miranda agreed, looking around some more.

Allen bit his lower lip and smiled. "No wonder it's a number one spot…" he then stood and looked down at the dance floor, following the twirling lights and dancing crowd with a small smile.

The black doors then suddenly opened again and the short man stepped out again, nodding at them politely and leaving the lounge room.

Tyki then stepped out of black doors with a large smile. "I'm so glad to see you all made it," he said, his eyes searching for Allen and finding him standing on his left. "Everyone, I am very sorry I didn't send my staff down to meet you in time."

"Well, we made it in one piece and that's the most important thing," Lenalee said with a look at Kanda, standing again.

"Yeah, it is," Allen whispered with a small smile, approaching him when Tyki extended his hand to him.

"Hey," Tyki whispered, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Hey back," Allen murmured, kissing him.

They stared at each other for a short moment and then Allen chuckled and looked away.

"Alright you guys," Tyki announced, smiling. "This is the VIP lounge room. You can stay here for the rest of the evening if you like. You can eat and drink as much as you want here. But on the other hand, if you want to go downstairs and join the party you can do so by descending the stairs on the right side of the window, they will lead you to your VIP area. I wouldn't recommend actually going onto dance floor, but there is enough room for dancing in your secured area. You have the option of using one of the rooms upstairs if any of you decide to spend the night." He produced three card keys from his pocket and gave them to Lavi who was closest by. "If you have no need for them, just leave them on the table when you leave. Ask one of the people working here if you do wish to spend the night, they will show you where to go."

"Can we invite people up here?" Lavi asked.

"Do as you please," Tyki answered with a knowing smile. "But know that we have a responsibility towards you to maintain your security."

"Thank you," Miranda said.

"You're welcome," he said with a nod.

There was a brief awkward silence and then Allen clapped in his hands. "Okay, so you guys have fun! Tyki and I have some unfinished business to discuss." He looked at Tyki, who chuckled. "Let's go somewhere private?"

"Oh, yes," Tyki said, grinning. He waved the rest of the gang goodbye as he followed Allen back out of the room. "It was nice seeing you again! Enjoy your stay!"

And the door fell shut.

"Whoa… I hope Tyki's ready," Lavi remarked, standing.

"Allen's going to eat him alive," Lenalee said, grinning. "So, I'm ready to go hit the floor."

"I'm with ya," Chaoji said, standing as well.

"We'll be chilling here for a while," Marie said, picking up the menu from the table.

Miranda waved. "Yeah, you guys have fun."

Lenalee turned to Kanda. "You coming?"

"Well, someone has to keep you from getting molested down there," Kanda said with a sigh as he stood. "I doubt those two will do anything but chase tail."

"Screw you, Kanda!" Lavi and Chaoji said in unison.

Lenalee only smiled. "Let's go then."

Kanda looked at her. "No witty comeback?"

She shrugged. "Not tonight," she whispered, walking on.

He followed her, a minim smile curving his lips.

* * *

"So, how do you want me?"

Tyki smirked and licked his lips sensually, biting the tip of his index as he sat down in a lounge chair, watching Allen take off his vest slowly a few feet away.

"Lose the shirt, keep the necklaces," he commanded throatily, taking a sip from the wine glass standing next to him on a low table.

Allen did as told, taking the shirt over his head and throwing it beside him on the mahogany floor. He canted his hips backwards and placed his thumbs inside the hem of his jeans and pushed it down teasingly, looking at him from underneath his hat seductively. "I'm not wearing any underwear…"

Tyki gulped, his throat suddenly dry. "Okay… That's so convenient."

Allen bit his lip and smiled; unbuttoning the first button of his jeans with a small 'pop'. With each button he took a step closer until he was standing right in front of him. He took off his hat and threw it on the other chair behind Tyki.

Tyki looked up at him and grabbed him by his jeans, keeping their eyes locked as he slowly pulled the garment down. He could smell Allen's arousal and he let out an appreciative sound, sitting back when Allen moved in to unbutton his red shirt. Once the shirt lay on the floor, he stood from the chair and took Allen's head in his hands, kissing him deeply while Allen's fingers worked on his belt, pulling it out of its hoops a moment later. By then they'd reached the bed and Allen let himself fall on it, crawling up the sheets while he watched Tyki take off his pants, exposing his gorgeous skin, toned body and throbbing arousal. He crawled onto the bed after Allen, his golden eyes gleaming dangerously as he approached closer.

Allen let his tongue dart out against his lips when they were face to face, like a famished cat wanting a taste, breathing growing labored the longer Tyki teased him with sampling nips and licks. When they finally pressed their lips together in a hungry kiss Allen was moaning pleadingly, the anticipation having grown to an unbearable level.

Shifting his attention onto one of Allen's nipples, Tyki took suckle on the small erected bud, following Allen down on the bed when he laid down, returning his short gasps and moans with growls and groans of his own.

Allen let his fingers go through Tyki's soft hair as he ventured down on his body, dropping loving kisses on his skin as he went, caressing his trembling body with caring hands. "Tyki…" he whispered, closing his eyes when Tyki lifted his left leg and draped it over his shoulder. He could feel Tyki staring at him but he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes, his desire so rampant it rendered him helpless.

Tyki smiled gently up at him and then lowered his head, tentatively licking Allen's weeping erection. "You taste so good, Allen. Just like I imagined you would."

Allen bit his lower lip but kept his eyes closed, whimpering at the divine pleasure he was being given instead.

Tyki went down on him gently, cherishing him with nothing but his lips and tongue.

"Please… Tyki, please…" Allen whispered after a while, teetering dangerously close to his limit already, not wanting to reach it alone.

"Shhh… Allen," Tyki whispered, moving up his body and settling between Allen's legs. "It's alright." He kissed him. "We're not in a hurry, remember?"

Allen kissed one of his hands framing his face and nodded silently. Tyki smiled and kissed him again, all the while reaching for the lube that he'd readily placed underneath the pillow. "I want for you to enjoy this to the fullest, Allen."

Allen closed his eyes. "I want this to be good for you too…"

Tyki coated his right hand fingers with the lube and moved them down between them until he reached Allen's puckered entrance.

"Hn…!" Allen gasped and spread his legs wider, his hands sliding up Tyki's shoulders and around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss.

Tyki moved one finger inside of him at first, watching Allen's reaction carefully as he tested how much he could take, biting his lip at the sounds his lover was making.

"I can take more, Tyki…" he throatily whispered, his hips already moving to the slow rhythm Tyki had set. "Put more in me, please…"

It almost felt like he was drunk from the erotic passion he felt and so he leaned in and took Allen's nipple back into his mouth, inserting one more finger inside his quivering hole. The reaction was immediate and he moved his lips up again, catching Allen's gasping ones in a needy kiss.

Allen was only half aware of being turned onto his stomach and pulled on all fours by his hips. It was only when the tip of Tyki's erection pressed against his entrance that another jolt went up his spine and he moaned his name, pushing back against him. A large hand on his shoulder coaxed him up against him, head resting against a firm shoulder. With one hand on his hip and the other caressing his hard on, Tyki pushed inside of him, lips pressed into the crook of his neck and shoulder.

"Fuck…" Allen breathed, losing his balance, hands falling against the head board and holding on. Tyki pulled back then and he whimpered, fingers digging into the black wood of the board in anticipation of the next thrust.

A surprised cry was torn from his throat when next Tyki thrust inside, hitting every right nerve as he went.

"Here we go, baby…" Tyki whispered, beginning a series of slow and efficient strokes, both his hands holding onto Allen hips now, pulling him to him with every thrust.

It was all too much and his body was barely holding on; it just felt that good. Allen whimpered with each stroke, his right hand now playing between his legs, touching that place where he and Tyki joined over and over.

Tyki threw his head back when he felt those small fingers play down there, not believing how sexy Allen was being right now. He pulled him back up against him and grabbed hold of his face for a rough kiss, never missing the rhythm of his thrusts for a second and instead going faster.

By the time Tyki released his lips Allen had his face pressed against his pillow with his ass up, his arms having lost all strength with the intensity of it all. And when Tyki reached between his legs for his arousal he couldn't but cry out weakly and gasp his name again.

Allen was tightening around him already and so Tyki bent over and kissed him in the middle of his spine, whispering encouraging words against his moist skin. "Stay with me, Allen."

Allen had no breath to answer and simply moaned beseechingly, closing his eyes tightly shut when Tyki hit that bundle of nerves deep inside.

It wasn't long before Tyki tensed up in turn and coaxed Allen down flatly on the bed with him on top of him, kissing his temple repeatedly while moving his hips in fast circling motions in and out.

The additional friction of the sheets against his erection was all too much and Allen couldn't hold back, toppling over the edge with a whimper of Tyki's name.

Tyki followed closely after, grunting softly into his ear as his warmth spilled inside of Allen, all sticky and wet.

They breathed together for a few moments and then Allen carefully turned his head Tyki's way and kissed him amorously, smiling happily when Tyki slid his lips up his forehead and kissed him there again, whispering soft praising words.

When Allen fell asleep a few minutes later, he did so knowing that Tyki was lying next to him, watching him silently.

Waiting for the both of them to wake up next to each other the following morning.

* * *

**Ok, so now the opening act is sort of over... it's going to get dark pretty soon.**

ToBeContinued...

**_-BDP-_**


	7. The Devil

**Welcome back everyone! Whoa... thanks for the reviews again! **

**Tarot Card Meaning:****The title of this chapter is named after the Tarot Card of the Devil, which CAN stand for a man/person of influence to which the person tho whom this card is dealt to (in this case Allen, the cards are always dealt to him FYI), feels something akin to an obsession which in turn affects all the other aspects of his life. I wonder who the 'Devil' is in this story hmmm...  
**

**Warning: Bad language and some morning sex. Unbeta-ed.**

**Ps: I'll post the meanings of the other chapter titles on their respective pages for those who are interested.  
**

* * *

THE DEVIL

* * *

Her naked feet dangled off his left arms as he carried her towards her front door, the night now dissipating itself around them to give way to the early morning.

"I can't feel my legs…" Lenalee whispered against his chest, snuggling closer sleepily.

Kanda huffed. "That's what you get from dancing on those things all night."

"But they're so pretty…" she yawned, looking at her shoes that lay in her lap.

"Right," he whispered dully, putting her down now that they stood in front of the door.

Lenalee took out her house key and unlocked the door. She then turned to him. "Thank you for accompanying me home, even if you didn't have to."

"I wasn't going to stay behind on my own," he replied and shrugged, "The others all decided to spend the night over there and Mikk only gave us three card keys."

She nodded and took a step inside, watching him turn away. He'd stayed close to her the entire night and actually behaved as a perfect gentleman, even when she got drunk and could barely stand on her feet. He'd treated her with respect and a kindness he'd never shown before.

It was a shame that the night was going to end like this, when it had held so much promise at its start…

"Would you like to come in?" she blurted out; deciding to throw herself into whatever this could lead.

He looked back at her silently.

Her feet padded on the cold stone in front of the door and she took him by his arm, gently pulling him inside. "Come in and… stay with me?"

His lips pressed together in a thin line.

Her heart began to pound in her chest. "Please?"

Kanda moved in and took her face in his hands, kissing her. She kissed him back just as fiercely as he was, dropped her shoes on the tiled floor of her hallway and wrapped her arms around his neck, encircling his waist with her thighs when he grabbed her ass and lifted her up.

He walked through the doorway without breaking the kiss, pushing the door closed with a kick of his foot.

* * *

Allen fell on the bed with Tyki on top of him, breathing hard.

"I wouldn't mind waking up like this every day…" Allen breathed against Tyki's lips, kissing him softly.

Tyki grunted and settled down between Allen's legs, brushing his bleached hair back from his damp forehead. He rolled his hips when Allen locked his thighs around his waist and grinned at the younger male's low moan. "You wouldn't?" he whispered, kissing him back. "How about going on all day?"

"Do you think you have what it takes?" Allen murmured back, arching at a particularly pleasurable stroke.

Tyki licked up a drop a sweat that rolled down Allen's throat, kissing the wet skin after. "Do you think you'll be able to keep up?" he countered throatily.

Before Allen could think of a reply, Tyki enmeshed their lips again and slowly withdrew before plunging back inside of him, keeping his thrusts short and grinding.

Allen broke the kiss for much needed air, gasping. "Oh God yes…!"

"Yes?" Tyki murmured with a wicked smile, licking Allen's chin as he arched again.

"Oh shut up…" Allen whimpered, bringing his head back on his lover's eye level.

Tyki laughed heartedly and rolled them over so Allen was on top. He watched then completely mesmerized how Allen threw his head back while working his hips in fast circling motions, his erection pointing towards his navel proudly, lips parted in erotic bliss.

"Damn, Allen…"

"You just feel so good, Tyki…" he whined, strands of his hair sticking to his face and throat as he threw his head back once more.

Tyki bit his lower lip and pulled him down against him, feeling him tense up. "Cum for me, beautiful baby…"

It was all Allen needed to reach his orgasm, body shuddering on top of Tyki's as he mewled his pleasure, breathing in quivering gasps. "Ty…ki…!"

"Are you ready for just a bit more?" he whispered, thrusting up tentatively.

Another tremor went down Allen's spine and he winced at the stimuli overload. "C-cum inside…" he gasped in between upward drives.

Tyki grabbed hold of Allen's ass and held on, pushing inside of him with a renewed rhythm. "Allen…"

The sweat was dripping off Allen's back as he pushed back with his hands on Tyki's chest. "Fuck…!"

"You're so hot, baby… so hot…"

A rush of heat shot up within him a moment later and Allen cried out, collapsing on top of Tyki, catching his breath.

Tyki breathed hard beneath him, smiling lovingly when Allen lifted his head to look at him. "Amazing…" he sighed, brushing Allen's bangs back behind an ear.

"Can we get breakfast now?" Allen murmured tiredly. "Before we get to round four?"

Tyki chuckled. "I was beginning to wonder where your appetite had gone."

He grinned back and kissed him on his lips. "Oh it's always there; it was just masked by another type of hunger…"

"Oh?"

"Uh-huh…"

Tyki took hold of his face and planted another kiss on those soft lips, nuzzling his nose affectionately. "Let's eat then shall we?"

"Breakfast, right?" Allen asked to make sure.

The older man laughed again. "I see that the thought of food has corroded any other thought…"

"Hey!" Allen protested, blushing. "Don't make fun, you're still inside of me!"

Tyki grinned. "Alright, breakfast it is then."

"A big breakfast!"

"A big breakfast."

Allen grinned happily. "And then afterwards we can take a shower and go for rounds 5 and 6…"

Tyki raised an eyebrow at that. "6?"

"7 could be on or against that table over there…" Allen continued, not hearing him. "That couch looks comfy… I hope we can do it without staining it. Was that plush rug on the floor always there?"

"Allen…" Tyki blinked up at him.

Allen turned his head to him with a small knowing smile. "Hm?"

The next thing he knew, Tyki pounced on him with his lips attached to his throat, suckling eagerly as he rolled them over again.

"I thought we were having breakfast!" Allen snickered.

"You obviously had something else on your mind!" Tyki answered, attacking his throat again with a playful growl and making him squeal in amusement.

* * *

The first drops of rain were falling on Tyki's coat when he kissed him goodbye later that afternoon.

"At what time do you want to go for dinner tomorrow?"

Allen nodded and sighed, wrapping his arms around his neck, not wanting to see him go just yet. "I hope we're done by eight in the evening, so then?"

"Sounds good," Tyki replied, kissing his forehead.

"Thank you for everything," Allen whispered, closing his eyes with a smile and then looking up when Tyki was done kissing him. "It was all so amazing."

"You're the one who made it amazing, Allen…" Tyki whispered back, lowering his head for another kiss.

Allen blushed and let him kiss him, heart beating uncontrollably hard. "Tyki…"

"Call you later?" Tyki asked softly, hands playing through Allen's locks a last time.

"Yes please," he whispered back.

"Alright then…" Tyki said, walking backwards down the small path leading to his car. "It's going to be a lonely night without you…"

"Then don't go," Allen replied, cocking his head to the side pleadingly.

"We both have work we need to concentrate on," Tyki countered, shaking his head apologetically. "But I promise to take the first flight back here as soon as I'm done."

Pouting slightly, Allen nodded in a conceding manner, looking down dejectedly. "You're right."

Tyki smiled encouragingly. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," Allen replied, sighing when Tyki finally walked off towards his car. He waved when Tyki looked his way again from inside his car and closed his eyes and turned around as he drove off.

The house was abandoned when Allen walked in. The first thing that caught his attention where the coats that lay on the floor in front of the stairs. He found one of Lenalee's boots on one of the steps as his gaze went up, the other standing upright at the top.

Allen scoffed in amusement and kneeled down to pick up the dark blue coat, recognizing it immediately. "Well I'll be… Guess we both got lucky then, huh?" he whispered picking Lenalee's black trench up as well and hanging it on the nearby hanger, walking into the living room afterwards. He pressed in the blinking button of their voicemail and listened to the three messages that had been recorded.

The first one was from Lavi, drunk dialing at 5 in the morning, which he erased without a second thought.

The second one was from Komui reminding them the exact hour for tomorrow's recording session.

And the third was a message from Cross saying that Delete would join them tomorrow in the studio for a meet and greet. He also asked if it was okay if they went out for dinner with the entire group afterwards. Apparently Komui had already given his consent.

Allen scowled a bit; if it was lunch then there was no problem, but he really didn't feel like cancelling on Tyki for dinner. He took out his phone and called Cross to ask whether they couldn't go for lunch instead.

"_Allen?"_

"Yeah. Hey, I just heard your message on the voicemail."

Cross cleared his throat, sounding gruffer than usual. _"Yeah, about Delete."_

Allen frowned, hearing stuff falling over in the background. "I'm sorry, am I bothering you?"

"_No, Allen. What's up?"_

"I was wondering if we could go to lunch instead, because I have a thing around eight tomorrow."

"_A thing?"_

He rolled his eyes. "I've already been invited to dinner."

Cross chuckled dryly. _"Oh, by Tyki?"_

Allen squinted, not liking the mocking tone of his voice. "Yeah, as a matter of a fact."

There was a sigh on the other end of the line and then it remained silent for a moment.

"So, can I be excused from dinner?" Allen asked, beginning to lose his patience.

"_So you'd prefer ditching your band just so you and Tyki can fuck, is that it?"_ Cross asked, voice ice cold. _"Do you even see what you're doing, Allen?"_

"Hey, hold up a sec, where the fuck is all of this coming from?" Allen asked, now irritated.

There was another silence in which Allen felt tempted to just hang up, but didn't, something telling him that he would want to hear what the man was going to say next.

"_How well do you even know this guy?"_ Cross asked softly, worry coming through in his voice.

"That's none of your business!" Allen whispered through gritted teeth. "Are you trying to tell me what to do?"

"_Allen, listen to yourself. The band needs you there tomorrow; you can't just leave them high and dry, making excuses for you __**again**__."_

"When have I ever-!" He cut himself short, realizing Cross was right.

"_Black Order used to mean everything to you. Just because I ruined it between us, it doesn't mean you have to neglect the promise you made towards your friends. It's highly unprofessional, Allen."_

"Don't lecture me, Marian," Allen said, shaking his head with a quivering smile. "Not you."

Cross sighed. _"Look, you called it quits, but that doesn't mean I stopped caring about you, Allen. I'm not looking to discredit your boyfriend, but I do worry."_

Allen scoffed. "Again, none of your business!" he closed his eyes and sighed, leaning against a nearby wall. "Just… back off, okay? I have enough shit to deal with. I really, really need this."

"_Delete's plane arrives here at 2PM, so lunch can't be done either way," _Cross replied calmly. _"You can reschedule your date, Delete can't."_

Allen pressed his eyes closed and hung up.

Cross lowered the phone from his ear and threw it beside him on his bed, running his hands over his face.

"You will have to tell him eventually, Marian," a female voice spoke from behind him.

He looked at the nightstand left from him and took the document holder lying there. "He deserves to be happy, but how do I tell him _this," _he shook the holder in his hand, "without breaking his heart?"

Her long strawberry blonde hair fell down her back when she shook it out after she'd buttoned up her white shirt and stood up. "You've already broken it once," she said in her low sultry voice, reaching for her vest that lay over a chair and putting it on. "I thought it only got easier the second time around."

He huffed and reached for a cigarette and lighter from his pocket, lighting it when the door behind him fell shut.

* * *

Lenalee descended the stairs a few hours later, wearing a black lace see-through halter top nightie. She was about to saunter off towards the kitchen when she saw Allen lying on the sofa in the living room, eating ice cream and writing some lyrics.

"Hey! I didn't know you were back!"

Allen licked some chocolate off his lips and turned to her lazily. "Hey sexy!" he whispered softly, putting his notepad on the small table.

"Hey," she said, plopping down next to him.

"You smell like sex," he remarked, making a disgusted face. "You sleaze…"

She laughed, "Am not! I took a shower before coming down!"

He grinned and turned to her, leaning with an arm against the back of the sofa. "You're glowing."

Lenalee smiled and blushed. "You're just saying stuff," she whispered, waving his comment away.

"No, seriously," he chuckled, "I don't know what Kanda did, but I bet he did it well."

She brushed her hair behind her ears and grinned.

"So what's your official status?" Allen asked, picking up the bowl of ice that was slowly melting on the table.

"We're going to take it slow, give us some time to explore all of the possibilities between us." Lenalee sat back as she said that, sighing happily. "But what about you and Tyki?"

Allen pulled his feet onto the sofa and leaned back, smiling mischievously behind the bowl of ice as he looked at her. "It was… I don't even have a word for it!"

Lenalee looked at him in wonder. "That good?"

Allen nodded. "To tell you the truth, I could barely keep up at times," he whispered in awe.

"_You_ could barely keep up?" she chuckled. "A man that rivals your sexual appetite exists?"

He gave her a playful glare. "It just... was amazing how he made me feel. So… so—"

"Wanted?" Lenalee whispered knowingly.

"Yeah," he breathed, watching her nod. "And then of course, Big Red had to go and ruin it all."

"Huh?"

"He called earlier, left a message." Allen took a spoonful of ice cream and put it in his mouth. "Delete is flying in tomorrow at 2 and they're coming to watch us record."

Lenalee gasped. "Whoa, really?"

Allen nodded. "Yeah, and we're supposed to go to dinner afterwards. Miranda and the others already called to confirm it too."

"That's great! But why do you sound like someone cut off your hair in your sleep?"

He scoffed and looked at her, all the amusement gone from his eyes. "Because I was supposed to have dinner with Tyki tomorrow and now I can't go."

She blinked. "Well, Allen this kind of has a priority right now…"

"I know…" he whined, pouting. "And yet it still feels like he's trying to put sticks in my wheels."

Smiling encouragingly, she scooted closer. "But you and Tyki are a sure thing right now, right? Big Red has nothing to say about it, he can't do anything to stop you… If he plans on keeping his word and remain in the sidelines."

"Yeah right…" Allen rolled his eyes.

"It's going to be fine," she said in a consoling manner. "And look on the bright side; we're going to meet Road Kamelot tomorrow!"

Allen scrunched up his nose. "She gives you a hard on, not me."

Lenalee rolled her eyes and smirked. "Come on, Allen. Don't think about the man so much, he's just doing his job and helping us get some time in the spotlight."

He grunted and shook his head. "You're right, but I still wish I could see Tyki…"

"Lenalee?"

The both looked into the direction of the hall and saw Kanda putting on his coat over his clothes, shaking his hair out.

She jumped out of her seat and padded over to him, pulling him by his coat for a kiss.

"I have to go," he whispered.

"Okay," she murmured, letting him kiss her again.

He took her face in his hands and put their foreheads together, closing his eyes. "Call you later, ok?"

She nodded and then walked him to the door.

"Sure, ignore me while you're at it!" Allen called from the living room.

Kanda gritted his teeth, but quieted when Lenalee placed a hand against his face. "Be safe."

He nodded and then opened the door and left.

"What?" Allen said innocently when she appeared in the archway with her hands on her hips.

She chuckled and shook her head. "I could eat," she then said out of the blue, walking on towards the kitchen.

Allen grinned and continued to eat his ice cream.

* * *

She'd been staring at him from the moment she sat down on the seat next to her band members; her index with the dark blue painted nail rubbing over lower lip idly.

Allen smiled at her, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. The recording of the scheduled songs went well; they had managed to finish 6 of the 8 today. It was kind of right to say that the recording was significantly slowed down by the arrival of Delete; no one seemed to be able to concentrate with Road being her bright and bubbly self, looking around and touching everything she found interesting. You would think that she'd never set a foot in a recording studio.

So they were now at a local restaurant having dinner and Allen felt himself strangely unattached to what was going on. Try as he might, he could only look dully at his friends talk excitedly with the members of the other band while they ate and drank. Even the food didn't appeal him as much as it usually did.

It was like something was itching beneath his skin and he couldn't wait to get out of here.

"So where do you get the inspiration for your lyrics?"

Allen blinked and only then noticed that all eyes around the long table were fixed on him, waiting for his impassionate answer.

"Come on, Allen, I really want to know," Road giggled, placing her small hand on his on the table. "Maybe you could write something for us some time."

Her dark blue eyes looked at him admiringly, her pale skin glowing in the dim overhead lights. She was barely seventeen, but world savvy in many ways, having been with Delete since its inception two years ago. Although a nationally acclaimed rock star, she was still going to school like a normal teenager, still had friends her age, and still went home to her parents every night when she wasn't on tour or away for promotional reasons. Of course it made it all easier for her to have her older sister Lulubell in the group as the lead guitarist.

His eyes fell on the white haired guy called Wisely, who played the drums, sitting right from Cross and then on the black haired and blonde haired guys who were looking at him longingly. If he recalled it correctly the black haired one was call David and his boyfriend, the blonde haired one, was Jasdero. Both played second guitar and bass respectively.

"Well, it's mostly real life experiences that drive me to write," he said, shrugging and sitting back.

"I would love to sing one of your songs!" Road then said excitedly. "Will you write me one?"

Allen scratched the back of his head demurely. "Err, sure, yeah."

She squealed happily and then turned her attention to Lenalee who was sitting on her other side, starting a conversation with her.

This was supposed to be fun and entertaining, but Allen couldn't bring his mind to stop thinking about Tyki. Despite everyone's good intentions and good mood, it still felt like he was wasting his time sitting here.

Tyki said he'd call and the moment that was supposed to happen couldn't come quick enough.

"Please excuse me," he said after a moment, standing from his seat.

"Where are you going, Allen?" Road giggled, holding him back with a hand on his wrist.

"Bathroom," he mouthed in a played confidential way.

"Oh…!" she whispered back, grinning.

He had to keep himself from walking faster than normal and sighed in relief when he finally stood outside on the patio of the restaurant, looking at the sinking sun above the ocean.

"You didn't even have it in you to look even remotely interested, did you?"

A cloud of smoke wafted past him and Allen recognized the brand by its odor. He looked away and leaned onto the reeling, not saying anything.

"I wonder how long you'll be able to keep doing this, Allen," he said, placing his glass of wine on the reeling.

"Fuck off. I don't want to be here," Allen murmured.

Cross took a last drag of his smoke. "Obviously." He exhaled and put out the cigarette on the underside of his left shoe, tossing the butt over the reeling. "I only did this to help the band, you know?"

Allen scowled. "Right."

Cross shook his head. "Believe me, don't believe me, it doesn't really matter at this point, the result of what you're doing is proof enough to convince me."

"Proof of fucking what?" Allen exploded, turning to him. "Huh?"

"That you're running," Cross said, unfazed.

"From what, from you?" Allen scoffed. "Please, _please_ get over yourself, Marian."

Cross grabbed him by an arm at that, his cool demeanor now gone. "I don't know, you tell me, Allen."

Allen glared at him. "Remember how my face used to look when you fucked me?" he whispered venomously, approaching his face to his and pulling his arm free. "Now, imagine Tyki's on top of it, because the only face I see when I'm cumming, is his."

Cross took a step closer and Allen lifted his head defiantly, expression flinching a bit when Cross forcefully closed his hands around his upper arms, holding him in a thight grip.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

They both turned their heads in the direction of the voice.

"Tyki," Allen breathed in relief, releasing himself from Cross' hold again.

Tyki reached out for Allen with a hand, his other hand in his pocket as he stared hard at Cross, eyes gleaming dangerously.

Allen moved away from Cross and took Tyki's hand.

"Are you alright?' he whispered, glancing at Allen when he nodded.

"What are you doing here?"

"You told me where you'd be and who you'd be with so I got here as soon as my plane landed," Tyki explained calmly, looking at the red haired man again coldly, "If I see you lay a hand on him again, you'll live to regret it."

"God..." Cross rolled his eyes disdainfully. "Allen, this guy is a joke!"

"And yet you still manage to be the biggest retard here," Allen retorted coolly before following Tyki back inside so they could leave the restaurant.

Cross growled and hit the wineglass off the reeling in a fit of anger, cussing when he cut his fingers in the process.

This 'letting go to have Allen come back'-thing wasn't working at all.

* * *

_**Up next: It would seem that not all glittering things are golden and what is it that Cross knows about Tyki?**_

ToBeContinued in _**8. The Moon**_

**_-BDP-_**


	8. The Moon

**Back again! I'm a bit surprised about the last chapter. I thought it was obvious that Tyki was the Devil in that one…**

**Oh well… I'm updating this as I have the time to write it, so enjoy and show me love!**

**Warning: Bad Language and Hurt!Allen. Unbeta-ed.**

**Tarot Card Meaning/ Chapter Summary: The Querent who gets this card should be warned that they may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial. They querent must prepare for a mental and emotional rollercoaster ride. Lies that lay hidden will get revealed; truths they thought absolute will get undermined and destroyed. Though a scary card, it also tells the querent that they should trust their intuition in order to get through these trying times, instead of wallowing in depression and howling… at the moon.**

* * *

8. THE MOON

* * *

Weeks had passed after the clash between Tyki and Cross.

Allen hasn't seen Cross in those weeks and he couldn't think of any other time when he'd felt more free and happy at the same time.

"Strawberry?"

He grinned and let his head fall back against the back of the sofa, mouth wide open. "Aaah…"

Tyki dropped the cleaned fruit in his awaiting mouth. "Fire in the hole!"

Allen laughed as he watched him jump over the sofa and landed next to him with the bowl of strawberry pressed against his stomach. "How's it going?"

"Going…" Allen replied, writing down a line on his notepad. "Somehow it's harder to write an upbeat song. Wonder why that is," he pensively said and then opened his mouth.

Tyki picked another strawberry from his bowl and fed it to him. "Because sadly, happiness isn't there enough in some people's lives to write about it."

Allen looked at him with a small frown. "But I am happy right now, have been for a couple of weeks now," he murmured, still eating his strawberry.

Tyki grinned and moved in to kiss him softly. "Then perhaps you just need to try harder, Mr Lyricist…"

Allen pouted and scratched his head with his pen, sighing. "Help me?"

"How did you ever do this without me?" Tyki chuckled and took the notepad over from him. "Do you have a melody in your mind?"

"Yeah," Allen said, picking up his guitar from the floor. He played a few notes and sang a bit of the lyrics he already had and stopped where he was stuck.

"Sounds pretty intimate," Tyki remarked, looking at him.

"It is…" Allen nodded.

"Care to tell me where your inspiration came from?"

Allen leaned into him. "I want to capture that feeling of waking up on a Sunday morning and finding the person you love lying there still blissfully asleep. The sense of wonder and bliss that comes with it."

Tyki smiled gently and thought about it. "The sun shining through the transparent white curtains that are billowing in a cool morning breeze… the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore in the distance…"

Allen nodded again. "You get it."

"How about this?" he proposed, adding a few words to the sheet and showing them to him.

Allen gasped in approval. "Baby you're a genius…"

"I remember a Sunday morning like that…" he whispered back, nuzzling his nose.

"You do…?" the younger male replied, kissing him softly.

The front door suddenly smacked closed and the next moment they saw Lenalee stomp up the stairs angrily, not even giving them a glance in greeting.

"Uh-oh…" Tyki whispered.

Sure enough, the next moment Kanda stood at the base of the stairs, the front door smacking closed again. "Why do you have to make things more complicated than they are?"

"_How am I making things more complicated, mister I'm too good to go shopping with my girl friend?"_

"I never said that, Lenalee!" He yelled back and then grunted in frustration. "Are you even listening to me?" He walked up a few steps. "I never said that!"

Allen snorted in amusement and then quickly sat back on his seat when Kanda glared at him murderously.

"_Screw you, Kanda!"_

Tyki winced at that and they watched Kanda run up the stairs with a stifled cuss.

"They're still working out the kinks," Allen said with a shrug, laying his head on Tyki's lap, closing his eyes when the older man ran a hand through his hair tenderly.

"You know I'll always want to go shopping with you, right?" Tyki whispered.

"Yeah," Allen said, nodding. He reached up and placed his hand against his face, frowning slightly at the smallness of his voice. "Where's this coming from, baby?" he asked softly.

Tyki shook his head and shrugged. "I care so much about you, Allen; you make me so happy…"

"I've never been more happy than with you," he murmured, smiling. He had an idea of what it was Tyki really wanted to say and just the thought of it was enough to have him laughing blissfully.

"What?"

Allen sat up again and straddled him. "Nothing, everything is perfect," he whispered, kissing him lovingly, moaning when he Tyki wrapped his arms around him and kissed him back hard.

"Allen!"

They both broke the kiss, startled by Lenalee's panicked voice and the sound of her footsteps thundering down the stairs. She ran into the living room with her phone in one hand, her eyes wide open and her other hand covering her mouth. "Turn it on!" she whispered, pointing towards the TV with shaky hands. "Turn the TV on!"

"What's going on?" Allen said, taking the remote from where it lay on the couch next to them, feeling more and more alarmed as the moments went by. "Lenalee?" he rolled off of Tyki and pressed the 'ON' button of the remote.

Lenalee had both her hands against her face by then and Kanda was standing next to her, holding a fist to his lips with a grave expression. "This is bad, Allen."

"Put on MTV," Kanda said.

Allen did as told.

"_And in the other music news, Delete fans are rallying all over the web to protest against the band that is supposed to cover the opening act for Delete's West Coast tour. Black Order, a small town rock band that is growing rapidly in popularity on the West Coast has been given this big opportunity and already reports of nasty play are coming in, saying that one of Black Order's members slept with Delete's manager to obtain the gig. Many fans of Delete support this, since pictures of said member and manager are circulating on the web. Since Black Order's music is similar to Delete's, the fans think that the newcomers are trying to pick into Delete's success which is massive, but dwindling. They are also petitioning for the removal of Cross Marian as Delete's manager and producer. Ouch! Gotta love it when fans from different rock bands clash like that… Black Order has been struggling to enter the mainstream music scene for some time now and, if the rumors were to be true, it could shed an unfavorable light on this budding band's career. Will Black Order still be able to do Delete's opening act in their upcoming tour? Stay tuned for more on this developing story."_

The room went quiet for a long time.

"What the fuck?" Allen whispered shakily, looking at Lenalee who still had her hands against her mouth. "How the fuck did they even…?"

"I think the most important thing right now is finding out how to fix it," Tyki said, taking the remote from Allen and putting it beside him and taking his phone out of his back pocket. He stood and went into the hall to make some calls.

"Yeah," Kanda agreed, taking Lenalee in his arms when she sought his embrace. "You need to call Komui, ASAP—"

He'd barely finished saying that and both Lenalee's and Allen's cell phones began to ring. The house phone and the fax also rang and that's when they knew that the shit had just hit the fan.

Big time.

* * *

"What we need to do now and fast is damage control," Komui announced, resting his hands on the table, looking at both bands sitting on either side. "Get our official stories straight and stick to them."

"And stick together," Wisely added.

Black Order looked at their counterparts in slight surprise and they nodded in acknowledgement and gratitude. They did feel like they were the ones who would cause this collaboration to sink in many ways. Not only were they newcomers to the music scene, but they were already messing up their credibility as well as Delete's, who had been the one who gave them a hand.

"Don't blame yourselves, you guys," Road said, smiling friendly. "People say stuff like this all the time, this is fixable."

"I'm sure Komui and Marian will find a way to quiet this thing down," Lulubel said from behind her sunglasses.

Allen wasn't so sure about all of this. It may not have been with the intention of scoring gigs from Big Red, but the fact still remained that they used to sleep together and quite a lot, too. They used to go out eating and shopping together as well, so the pictures that were posted online were genuine ones.

"Hey Allen," David said, sitting back with his feet on the table. "We all know you and Marian used to be a thing."

"And we also know that you guys have known each other for ever," Jasdero chimed in, shrugging. "Those accusations are based on nothing but air."

Allen smiled thankfully and nodded, looking at Lenalee and Lavi when they both put hands on his shoulders. "It still feels like I fucked things up…"

"You couldn't have known," Miranda said softly.

"Stop beating yourself up for this entire thing, we're sharing in this mess," Lavi agreed.

"That's all good and well you guys, but what are we going to do against the reporters and paparazzi that are already following us everywhere we go?" Allen asked, looking at Komui.

Komui sat on the table and sighed softly. "For the time being it'd be best if you limited unnecessary trips. They will try and provoke you, so give them as little a chance as possible."

Allen bent forwards in his seat and leant with his elbows on the table, burying his face in his hands. "Shit…"

"I know this wasn't how we wanted Black Order to be noticed," Komui continued, "but this is what we have to deal with for now. Please bear with it until it goes over."

"Where is Cross by the way?" Lenalee asked.

"He had a meeting with the producers of the tour," Wisely answered.

"He'll need to lay low too," Chaoji remarked.

"Marian knows how to handle the media, I'm not too worried," Komui said, standing again and picking up his papers from the table and shaking them straight.

It was the signal that this meeting was over and they all stood, getting ready to leave.

"How's Tyki holding up?" Miranda whispered as they exited the room and walked down the hall towards the elevators.

Allen nodded and sighed. "He wanted to take the plane with me, but I told him to stay behind. The media hasn't linked him to me yet and I'd like for it to stay that way for as long as it's possible."

"Being the mogul that he is," Komui said, "I think his entourage knows how to handle things like this efficiently."

"I'm very glad that the others were so supportive," Lenalee whispered as they watched Delete's entourage usher the rock band through the door leading to the box stairs of the building that gave out to the back of the studio.

"I for sure thought they'd blame us for this, you know? After the way the way that lady on MTV commented on their success…" Lavi scratched the back of his head and went to stand at the back of the elevator once it had arrived.

"About how their success is _dwindling_?" Komui asked, pressing in the button for the ground floor.

"Is it true?" Miranda wondered, watching the sliding doors close.

"It doesn't really matter when the bigger problem is that those fuckers are trying to ruin our lives and careers…" Allen whispered softly, standing next to Lavi with a dark expression.

Lenalee approached him. "Allen…"

Komui remained silent, deeply in thought.

They got out of the building, hurrying past the horde of photographers and music reporters that were being kept at a safe distance by hired security. They kept screaming their names and asking for their attention.

Before they managed to get into the car waiting for them though, there was one particular sentence that reached them and made their blood suddenly run cold.

"Allen, hey Allen! Are there as many advantages tied to doing it with Tyki Mikk as there are with Marian Cross?"

"Try and say that again, you stupid son of a bitch!" Lavi turned around in anger, but was held back by Chaoji who grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him inside the car. Allen, who was following behind Chaoji, visibly froze at that remark, body trembling when he turned to look around; suddenly feeling like everything was beginning to falling apart. When Lenalee put her arms around his shoulders he was barely aware of it, the sound of flashing lights and screaming voices echoing all around him incessantly.

"Allen, get in the car," Lenalee whispered, pulling him onwards with her.

"They know…" Allen whispered back, visibly stunned.

Lenalee nodded hastily, helping him to lower his head as they were now in front of the vehicle. "We'll deal with it later; get in the car for now."

Allen crawled inside and sat down, closing his eyes when the door fell shut and the intensity of the flashes was dimmed. Lenalee took out her sunglasses and gave them to him, covering his face with her body when they drove off and hiding the fact that one lonely tear had already found its way down Allen's cheek.

* * *

When they got home that night, they found the light on the second floor of their house.

"Are you sure you want to talk to him?"

Allen nodded and stepped out of the car that had brought them home from the airport with a decisive look. "He said it was important, that he wouldn't ask this of me if there was another way."

Lenalee sighed and followed him, thanking their chauffeur as she got out. "Aren't you worried about lurking paparazzi?"

"They've had their fill of pictures of me and Marian, a few more won't really make a difference.

"They've painted you as a whore, Allen!" she said in dismay.

Allen only smiled sadly at her and opened the door. "I'm just going to go see what he wants and then I'll probably take a shower and go to bed."

Lenalee closed her eyes and shook her head apologetically. He didn't need to be reminded of what the press said about him now… "Could you get a hold of Tyki?"

"I couldn't," he whispered in a barely audible tone.

"Do you want me to come up in a few minutes?" she offered in case he felt like he would need some support.

Allen smiled again and shook his head. "Goodnight, Lenalee."

She watched him go, now close to tears herself. Whenever something got to Allen this bad he would put up a smile, even if he felt like crying and screaming his pain to the world. He would internalize and shut everyone and everything off. She did hope that he knew that he had a support system ready to take care of him, even now.

Allen found Cross sitting in his chair in the lounge, bent forwards and with his elbows resting on his knees, hands intertwined in front of his lips. He closed the door behind him quietly and sat down on the red sofa left from Cross, looking tired and shaken.

Cross made a movement to stand, but stopped when Allen held up a hand.

"Just tell me what was so important," he whispered dully, eyes fixed on the glass low table.

"Allen—"

"Marian. No," he cut him off, still not looking at him.

"This isn't going to be easy to hear," Cross whispered.

Allen took a trembling breath. "Nothing can make this day even worse."

"I wanted to tell you this now before the press got a hold of it and you learnt this through the media," Cross said, producing a document holder from behind his back. "It's about Tyki, Allen."

Allen's head shot up. "What?"

"It's something that happened 7 years ago," he continued, opening the folder and handing it to Allen. "Tyki was accused of criminal sexual conduct of the 1st degree on a 16 year old boy."

Allen took the folder with shaky hands, eyes open wide as he looked at the police reports and the many, many printed outlines from different magazines and papers. "What the hell is this?" he gasped in horror.

"He was never proven guilty, but said boy was found dead a couple of days after filing the complaint."

Allen's watery eyes rolled towards him after he said that, fear and dread clear in them. "What are you saying…?"

"There was a trial and all the evidence pointed in his direction, Allen."

Allen shook his head, feeling sick. "What are you saying…" he whimpered pleadingly, lips trembling.

"He was convicted for one year and 5 years of probation on the account of having a relationship with a minor. He was 22 at the time and his probation time was over a little over a year ago. His family is rich so he easily got back on his feet," Cross whispered, closing his eyes. "He was never found guilty for the murder, but another suspect has never been found."

Allen closed his eyes and let the holder fall from his hands. He stood on wobbly feet, almost fell but was caught just in time by Cross. He calmly removed his hands from his body, his own quivering uncontrollably.

"Allen—" Cross whispered as he watched him go towards his room.

Allen lifted a finger as in "wait a minute" and then sprinted the last few feet to the bathroom where he vomited into his toilet bowl.

Cross waited patiently by the door and felt his heart break at the series of silent sobs he heard coming from within, hitting the back of his head against the wall repeatedly.

The light finally went off after a couple of minutes and Allen strolled out, looking dazed. Without even acknowledging Cross' presence he walked out of the room and left the lounge.

"Allen!"

Lenalee's head shot up from where she'd been resting it on her arm on the kitchen island and she jumped off her stool, running into the hall just in time to see Allen descend the stairs again with Cross close behind.

"Allen, where are you going?" Cross repeated, holding him back by an arm when they stood in front of the door.

Allen never answered, but opened the door with his other hand, wriggling himself free from Cross' hold a second later and walking back into the night.

"Allen!" Lenalee cried, running after him. "Stop! Wait!" she cried, catching up to him by their car. "Where are you going? Allen, talk to me."

He looked at her and she found pained, tired and tear filled eyes. "I need to confirm something at Tyki's," he shakily whispered, turning around again and unlocking the car before stepping in. "Don't wait up."

"Allen!" she called again, passing a hand through her hair in frustration and ascending worry when he drove off.

_**

* * *

When the scandal explodes, who will be left standing and who will fall? When the dust settles, new truths will be revealed and important decisions taken.**_

ToBeContinued in _**9. The Hanged Man**_

_**-BDP-**_


	9. The hanged man

**Hey ya'll!**

**I originally wanted for this chapter to be split in two, but I realized that each part wouldn't be long enough to my liking so I merged them. This means that of the original 13 chapters this story was going to have; only 12 will get published. 3 more to go!**

**Warnings: Bad language, Hurt!Allen. Un-betaed  
**

**Tarot Card Meaning/ Chapter summary: 'The hanged man' is a card about suspension, not life or death. This is a time of trial or meditation, selflessness, sacrifice, prophecy. The Querent stops resisting; instead he makes himself vulnerable, sacrifices his position or opposition, and in doing so, gains illumination.

* * *

**

THE HANGED MAN

* * *

It'd been 5 days since Cross had told him. 2 since the press found out.

And 7 since he'd seen Tyki.

That night, when he drove over to his house on the other side of town in search of answers, he found none. There'd been no one at home. Tyki's phone had been non-responsive and leaving messages proved itself to be fruitless.

"Allen, you need to eat something," Lenalee whispered as she closed the curtains in the living room to keep the flashing lights out.

Allen sighed and stepped out of the couch, throwing the blanket off of him. "Closing the curtains won't keep their voices out," he whispered with dull eyes, walking off into the hall.

"We need to be at the studio in a few hours, Allen," she called after him, watching him go up the stairs with heavy eyes. "You didn't eat anything…"

He stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "I can't get anything down my throat."

"You have to try," she whispered pleadingly. "You're running on fumes…"

"I'd just puke it up again," he said back shaking his head. "I can't keep anything down."

Lenalee sighed and nodded concededly, letting her head fall onto her shoulders, fighting the upcoming tears.

Allen closed the door to his room behind him and rested his back against it, taking deep breaths to keep himself from giving into the tears. Everything reminded him of Tyki, from his bed, to the lounge, to the shower… He wanted to believe that it had all been real, that it wasn't all just a figment of his imagination. He desperately needed it to be… he couldn't wrap his mind about it being anything else than mutual, something they shared and committed themselves to build upon.

And yet the silence and the emptiness were blaring back at him, paralyzing him on the spot, unsure of what else he could do.

Tyki's number had gone out of service yesterday.

And all Allen wanted to do was sleep.

* * *

"He didn't show up?"

Komui shook his head sadly, sitting behind his desk. "I'm afraid there isn't much I can do at this point, Marian," he whispered, putting his elbows on the table and putting his hands together. "The kids even proposed to be put on hiatus for a while."

Cross closed his eyes and sighed. "How long are we talking about here?"

"A month? Maybe three?"

Cross passed his fingers through his hair and thought about the complications that decision would have on the plans he already made.

"Honestly speaking," Komui continued, "It doesn't sound like that bad of an idea to me. There's a lot these kids can take, but the added scandal of Tyki being an alleged rapist wasn't one they needed. It has seriously damaged their imago and they're very worried that Black Order won't be able to bounce back from this."

Cross leant against a dresser and wrapped his arms against his chest, hair falling in his face as he looked down, apparently in thought.

"I had my suspicions about Tyki too, you know," Komui whispered, watching him. "I just didn't make the connections as fast as you did. Maybe I should've been the one to tell him."

Cross grinned and threw his head back, one hand lying over his eyes. "Somehow I don't really think it would've changed much between him and I," he whispered, voice dripping with melancholy.

"You knew it wouldn't bring him closer to you, and yet you still…?"

"Yeah," he whispered, lowering his hand from his face and looking down again. "I've wondered myself time and time again what was wrong with that picture…"

"You love him," Komui stated simply.

Cross smiled sadly and looked out of the window for a moment and Komui clearly saw the regret and the pain that tormented his friend's eyes. Cross pushed his body away from the dresser after a moment and grabbed his coat from the chair and turned. "Give the kids some time to rest and let this mess blow over. They won't give the best of themselves if they're subjugated to stress like this."

Komui nodded, "Alright."

"I'll figure something out about the rest," Cross assured him, walking out of his office a moment later.

Komui stared at his closed door for some time before he finally decided to pick up his phone to put the decision they'd taken in effect.

* * *

The door to his room creaked open, bringing in a large amount of light that came from the lounge.

Although he'd turned off all of the lights, closed all of the windows and wrapped the covers over his head, Allen wasn't sleeping. No matter how much his body wanted to, his mind wouldn't let him.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he never heard Cross call his name softly. It was only when the taller man sat down on the end of his bed that Allen cautiously pulled the covers off from his face to look.

And he instantly regretted doing so.

"Go away," he sighed.

"What are you, twelve again?" Cross replied with a small smile.

"…"

He took note of the silence, but knew this wasn't something Allen needed to brood over indefinitely. "How are you feeling?"

Allen sat up and threw the covers off of him, confronting him, revealing the bags and the reddened eyes that wouldn't stop shedding tears of heartbreak, shame and regret. There was anger in them too, Cross observed, hardly surprised.

"What makes you think I even want to talk to you, let alone see your face?" Allen harshly whispered.

"I know you don't," Cross replied, unfazed. "But what you want right now pales in comparison to what you need."

"Oh really?" Allen whispered shakily, rolling his eyes away when more tears found their way down his face. "Then I _need_ for you to get the fuck out of my room!"

Cross shook his head, "No."

Allen jumped out of his bed and ran up to him to punch him in his face, hard. "I don't want you here! Get the fuck out!"

Cross ran a hand over his aching jaw and then looked at him again, expression calm and collected. He stood then, towering over Allen who took a few steps back. "No."

"I can't fucking believe this!" Allen shrieked, running his hands through his hair before coming up to him and hitting him against his chest with his fists. "Get out! Get out!"

Cross took the first few hits without flinching, but soon grabbed hold of his wrists and immobilized them. He looked on wordlessly as Allen trashed and cussed in his hold, crying and whimpering as he tried to get free.

When he finally calmed down and sunk onto his knees Cross let go. "Why are you so angry, Allen?" he asked softly, getting on one knee in front of him.

Allen looked up at him then, but didn't answer.

"Is it because I told you about Tyki? Or is it because you know you were so bent on running away from me that you didn't see what you were running into?"

Allen's eyes spread open wide at that and he stared at him, more tears rolling down his cheeks.

Cross put his right hand against Allen's chest and looked at him gently. "It is like I told Lenalee; I only have your best interest at heart. You can't make me stop caring about you and because I care, I worry." He smiled sadly and looked away. "That used to mean something to you once and I regret not having that kind of trust anymore."

Allen only kept staring at him silently, a deep realization coming over him. From the moment Tyki and him had begun to seriously see each other, he'd always compared what they had with what he and Cross used to have and it unconsciously made him angry whenever he thought about what it could've been. It wasn't that he didn't like Tyki, it was just that what he felt for Cross never really went away. He wanted it to work with Tyki, partly because he wanted to prove to himself that he deserved the happiness Tyki brought him and partly because he also wanted proof that it was possible for him to have a stable, durable relationship with a man that he could truly grow to love. A man for whom he'd already begun to fall for.

"I'm sorry it ended the way it did," Cross whispered, his eyes looking into Allen's truthfully. "I'm sorry that I told you about Tyki, I could've asked anyone else to do it."

More droplets fell from his eyes when Allen closed them and bent his head, sobbing. "It should have been him…"

It felt like a betrayal, like Tyki never took him seriously to begin with. Why couldn't he have told him about his past himself? Had he been so blinded by the glittering gifts, trips, dinners and hotels that he completely misjudged the man he thought to have been falling for?

What did this say about him?

He lifted his head slowly, his hands trembling as he breathed in quivering gasps and the tears continued to fall uncontrollably. "Marian…"

In that moment Cross saw the insecure, picked-upon 12-year old Allen in front of him and it wrenched his heart like it had done then. "Allen," he whispered into his neck when he took him in an embrace and held him as the younger male sobbed on over his shoulder, his hands grabbing hold of the back of Cross' jacket desperately.

They stayed like that for a long time, until Cross was sure that Allen's grief and pain had subsided.

If only a little.

* * *

"_It would appear that Black Order has decided to officially go on hiatus, following the media circus that was born out of not one, but two scandals that shook the group and catapulted it into unfavorable lights. In a surprise move, the band Delete announced that they wouldn't replace Black Order as their opening act. _

_Singer Road Kamelot said yesterday in an interview that they would continue on, without an opening act if necessary. She also added, quote "The entire staff of Delete supports Black Order and hope that they will reprise their activities soon. The industry would lose a great group if they were to quit now."_

_A beautiful display of solidarity between rock bands that is rarely seen, or rather not seen enough between rivaling bands."_

After the announcement of Black Order going on hiatus for an indefinite amount of time, all of its members took some time for themselves in order to get away from the glasshouse their lives had become.

"My grandfather," Lavi said, picking up his glass of water. "I kind of miss the grumpy old man, I'm going to see what's been keeping him busy."

"I think Miranda and I are going to go take some time for just the two of us," Marie said, smiling when Miranda took his hand lying on the table. "Spent some time in a big city where no one knows who we are."

"But if anything were to happen, we'll be close enough to fly back immediately," Miranda assured Lenalee.

She chuckled and brought her hand up to her chewing lips. "It's fine," she said, taking her glass of water and taking a sip. "The point of taking a break is to _take a break_, Miranda."

"My sister and I are going up to the lake area with our mother," Chaoji said with a small smile. "Mother always liked our lake house there."

"Your father built that house, right?" Lavi commented, cutting up his steak.

"Yeah…" Chaoji whispered softly. "Mother always said she wanted to live there when she…"

Lenalee slid her hand into his on the table and squeezed it. "It's not over yet, Chaoji," she whispered encouragingly. "You and Anita are doing great, taking care of her like you do. I'm sure she feels blessed to have children like you."

"Thanks, Lenalee," he said softly, squeezing her hand back. "What will you do during our hiatus?" he then asked, wiping away a few stray tears.

Lenalee looked up at Kanda and he nodded. "I'll be helping Kanda move in here."

"Holy crap!" Lavi exclaimed.

Miranda clapped in her hands excitedly. "Oh you guys! That's so great!"

"Congrats, partner," Marie chuckled lifting his glass. The others followed suit. "Can't believe you didn't even tell me. Or no wait, I'm not surprised. At all."

They all laughed and Kanda and Lenalee exchanged a soft kiss.

Lavi grinned. "When's the wedding?"

Kanda glared at him. "Not before those two tie the knot first."

Miranda and Marie chuckled. "Tell you what," Marie said, swallowing down his wine. "We were planning on setting a date during our trip anyway."

"Yeah," Miranda chimed in. "The moment we know, you two will be the first ones to know."

Everyone laughed again and Lenalee nodded in agreement.

"So uh, where's Allen?" Chaoji asked.

"Upstairs," Lenalee replied, sighing. "I don't need to remind you all how hard this has been on him."

"How is he?" Miranda asked.

Lenalee nodded a little. "He's actually doing a lot better than before. After Cross talked to him to other day—"

"Cross talked to him?" Lavi said, surprised.

"Yeah," she whispered. "Apparently he helped Allen realize something important and he's been doing better since."

"Any word from Tyki?" Marie asked.

"None," Kanda replied, crossing his arms over chest. "He must be laying low somewhere."

"Obviously," Chaoji said through gritted teeth. "How could he have hidden something like this from Allen, knowing what business he was in! He ruined it for us!"

They all remained silent for moment.

"I'm not saying it was a good judgment call, but I can definitely understand why he wouldn't want people to know…" Miranda whispered after a while. "I've seen him with Allen and what they had seemed genuine…"

"Yeah, I really think it was," Lenalee agreed, looking down sadly. "Allen is still waiting to have his version of the facts. He won't let go until he's heard it."

"That's Allen…" Lavi remarked with a silent sigh.

"Well, I don't need to wait to know what kind of man that guy really is!" Chaoji said disdainfully, reaching for his glass of wine. "If he truly cared, he wouldn't have hidden it _and _he wouldn't just leave Allen high and dry."

"It can't be that simple," Marie disagreed, shaking his head.

"We'll just have to wait until he resurfaces," Kanda said, shrugging.

They all agreed.

"Well," Lenalee then said, standing with her glass in a hand. "I'd like to propose a toast."

They lifted their glass.

"To us! We are going to let this media thing blow over and come back stronger than ever before!"

"Yeah!" they all exclaimed.

"We won't give up, but work harder and stick together. May we gather like this for more years to come!"

"Hear hear!" Lavi agreed, clinking his glass with the others.

Unbeknownst to them, Allen was sitting on the top of the stairs in the hallway, listening with his head resting against the wall at his friends' worried and careless banter for a few minutes. He'd barely gotten out of his room after Cross talked to him almost 3 days ago and today was the first day that he actually felt like he wanted to be amongst people. Or at least somewhere near people.

He still felt guilty for introducing Tyki to them and bringing so dangerous a man in their midst. But they were right; he had to figure out why Tyki had felt like he couldn't trust him with his past. If what they shared was true, then he needed to know.

Allen stood silently and descended the stairs, opened the front door and left.

Tyki'd sent him a message earlier.

He was back.

* * *

He was made to wait in the inner garden of Tyki's mansion in the sub-urbs. There was a fountain in the middle of it and marble benches around it. He descended the sunlit steps leading to the grass and calmly walked towards the sprouting water, sighing when he sat himself down on one of the benches to wait.

"I used to sit here for hours, trying to find some peace of mind after what happened seven years ago…"

Allen turned his head to the side in acknowledgement of his presence. "I can't imagine you actually found it."

Tyki approached him and sat down next to him on the bench. "I didn't."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to lose you."

Allen closed his eyes and averted his face away from his. "In other words, you didn't trust me enough."

Tyki remained silent and bent his head.

"Will you tell me now?" Allen asked, looking at the fountain.

"I can tell by the tone of your voice that I have already lost you, haven't I?"

Allen kept looking straight ahead. "Please tell me."

"I was in love with him. We'd been together for a year before our relationship went sour," Tyki whispered. "He'd never told anyone about us, or anyone about him liking other guys for that matter."

Allen turned to look at him questioningly.

"He never told me his parents were homophobes. I never knew he lived in constant fear of being found out…" He bent over and took his face in one hand, eyes tightly shut. "When he filed that complaint, I was away…"

"It made it look like you ran…" Allen whispered, beginning to understand where this story was going.

"You can look it up if you want; I left to go to business school… Which I never got the chance to even start… I never lay a hand on him, I swear."

Allen closed his eyes and sighed. "Who murdered him? And why?"

"His father always had high aspirations for him and he was known to be particularly violent when he didn't get his way. I believe he was already suspicious of his son and when he filed the report out of fear…"

"He saw through the bluff?" Allen whispered.

"And murdered him," Tyki finished, looking at the water remorsefully. "It wasn't hard for him to frame me; he had letters and pictures of us. Also, because he was underage, it sounded more believable to the police that his son's lover killed him to keep him silent…"

"Why didn't anyone make the connection to the father?"

"I tried to tell them, but I had no proof and no one believed me anyhow…"

Allen closed his eyes and shook his head in dismay. "God…"

"I'm sorry, Allen," he whispered sorrowfully.

Allen stood again. "I'm sorry too."

Tyki looked up at him silently.

"There are some things that you and I handled wrong in this relationship, I see that now," Allen whispered. "I should've taken the time to get to know you better instead of rushing in without really knowing who you are. And you should've told me about this before and at least have told me that you were okay instead of shutting me out."

Tyki stood in turn and took his hands in his, lowering his head apologetically.

Allen took a shaky breath and placed his hand against his cheek. "It's best if we took some time apart… to figure out where we both want to go from here."

Tyki smiled sadly, but nodded. "I understand…" he whispered quietly, wiping away a tear from the corner of Allen's eye with a thumb.

Allen sniffled and pulled him in for a last kiss. Tyki kissed him back gently, his hands holding him tightly.

They broke apart after a moment, Allen taking a last breath and looking him in the eyes. "Bye, Tyki."

Tyki closed his eyes to hide his own tears and nodded concededly, sighing sadly. "Bye, Allen."

Allen turned and walked away, knowing that a piece of him would always be with that man.

No matter what.

* * *

_**All stories have their beginnings and their endings. Making most of the time you spent together is always more important than to dream about how things could've been…**_

ToBeContinued in _**10. Death**_

**_-BDP-_**


	10. Death

**OMFG! It's bloody hot here in Antwerp City! I really had to search for cool places to write this, because with the way the weather's been like this past week it was impossible to write in my room without needing a shower every 10 minutes! So, sorry it kind of took longer than usual! I give you DEATH so show me love! LMAO**

**Warnings: Character Death, Hurt!Allen, un-beated.  
**

**Tarot Card Meaning/ Chapter Summary: The Death card signals a time of change. Time for something to end; but time also for something new to begin. The Querent may honestly be told that they may feel sad or empty, low, but that this will give him a way to rise again, like a phoenix from the ashes. Death is not the end. It is only the precursor to resurrection.**

* * *

10. DEATH

* * *

It was a small; intimate service, gathering the whole of the Han family so they could show their respects and final goodbyes to their beloved mother, grandmother, sister and aunt.

Anita held on to her brother, who was crying silently when they lowered the metal coffin into the ground. Anita's little girl was holding her mother's hand on her other side with both hands, resting her small face against her arm, feeling the sadness surrounding her but not understanding why it was all happening.

Komui was standing next to Chaoji with a solemn expression on his face, both his hands clasped together in front of him in silence. He turned his head to the side and watched Lenalee leaning into Kanda for comfort, Lavi covering his face with a hand, Allen sighing sadly and Cross taking off his black hat. Miranda had tears flowing down her cheeks quietly while Marie bent his head in wordless prayer.

Barely half a month had passed since they'd last seen each other at the dinner and none of them had expected that they'd see each other again this soon and for so sad an event at that.

"Thank you all for being here," Anita whispered afterwards at the wake, looking stunning as always, wearing a knee length, black lace dress. Her soft voice conveyed her sadness, but her face was a perfect façade of strength that she put up for her daughter and her brother, who was completely taken over by his grief.

Lenalee walked up to her and hugged her tightly. "Courage," she whispered back softly, pulling back and placing a hand on her shoulder. "We're here for you."

"Thank you," she said, voice faltering a bit. She turned to her 3 year old daughter who was calling for her attention and picked her up.

Cross walked up to them next and smiled at them. Mei looked up at him and grinned, recognizing him as a friend of the family. "How are you holding up? Where is Mahoja?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Marian," she whispered back, adjusting her hold on her daughter. "Mahoja went to find Chaoji."

He watched her struggle with the thought of finding her partner and her brother or staying here with her daughter. "Go find her; I'll look after Mei for you."

"You don't mind?" she whispered in relief, letting him take her daughter off her hands. "Thank you, Marian."

Mei practically jumped in his arms as soon as her mother let her go. "Marian, Marian! Wanna hear me sing?"

Cross grinned at her and pressed the top of her small nose with a finger. "Shhh, we can't make too much noise here, Mei. This is a funeral home."

"Oh, okay…" she whispered back, her jet black pig tails bouncing on her shoulders as she nodded. "I'll be quiet."

"Alright, good girl," he said, placing his hand on her head.

"I almost forgot how good you could be with kids," Allen whispered, looking up at him with a smile.

"I've had enough years to practice with you," Cross answered, looking down at him gently.

"Marian, I need to go to the bathroom!" she suddenly said in a hard whisper.

"Guess I can't help you there…" Cross whispered with a grimace.

Allen laughed quietly.

"Hey, Mei," Lenalee said with an amused smile. "Shall we go to the bathroom together?"

"Okay," she said as Cross put her back down on her feet. She took Lenalee's hand and together they disappeared into the back of the room they were currently standing in.

"How are you holding up?"

Allen looked at the glass of orange juice Cross was holding out for him and took it. "I'm okay…" he whispered back with a shrug.

Cross watched him silently for a moment. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about, Allen."

Allen took a sip of his drink and nodded complacently. "Sure, what is it?"

"Not here," Cross answered. "Maybe over a late lunch? Say, at two?"

Allen looked at his watch and read 11.37 am. "Ok, where?"

"We can figure that out later; meet me at pier nr 6?"

Allen nodded again and then watched him go into the small crowd to look for Anita and her brother to tell them he was leaving. The glass of orange juice in his hands felt surprisingly warm in his hand and for some reason it made him smile.

* * *

Lenalee sighed and took off her shoes as Kanda closed the door of the house and Allen strolled listlessly towards the kitchen, pulling his tie loose as he went.

"How soon do you need to get back?" Lenalee whispered as she watched Kanda change shoes in front of the door.

"I have a group in 30 minutes," Kanda replied, standing upright again.

"What about lunch?" she whispered back with a pout.

He brushed her bangs back and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "I'm fine."

Lenalee sighed unhappily. "Do you want me to drop by with something for you to eat later?"

He shook his head. "You need to stay here and look after him," he whispered, looking pointedly in the direction of the kitchen. "It's one of the reasons you asked me to move in here, remember? So there were two of us to look after him? I accepted so I could take some of the burden off from your shoulders. So concentrate on him, I'm fine."

She nodded and hugged him back when he embraced her. "Be safe."

"I'll be home by 5," Kanda whispered, walking towards the door and exiting.

She closed the door behind him and turned around, looking at Allen sitting at the kitchen island peeling a banana.

At least he was eating again.

Ever since he broke up with Tyki, Allen has been spending a lot of time with Cross again and it looks like they've rekindled their original relationship in the past few weeks; doing the things they used to do before their break up. They'd go out eating, jogging on the boulevard and the beach, compose music together or go shopping.

The story of Allen and Cross sleeping together soon lost its velocity when it got publicly known that Cross and Allen were old friends and that Cross was like a mentor to Black Order's keyboardist. Cross had taken it upon himself to keep the press away from Allen now that they were close again and it was thanks to him that Allen had found pleasure in his music again now that he didn't need to waste his energy on the media that harassed him 24/7.

Lenalee could still sense that Allen missed Tyki, but she was grateful that he wasn't walking around the house like a soulless zombie anymore.

Guess she'd have to come around to thank Cross one of these days with a dinner or something.

"I hope that Chaoji'll be okay," Allen whispered, sliding off the stool and walking over to the trash bin to drop the banana peel in.

"He has a large family," Lenalee whispered, now opening the fridge. "And he knows he's got us too…"

"Yeah…" Allen whispered back with a sad little smile. "He at least still has memories of his parents to take with him for the rest of his life…"

Lenalee closed the fridge and leaned against it with a shoulder, looking at him silently. "Do you wish you still had memories of your parents?"

He shrugged, "I've done without for a long time now. I was 3 when my father died of heartbreak because of my mother dying when she gave birth to me… I've moved past the issues that used to come with knowing that." He looked at her. "How about you?"

"Komui has pictures at his place, but I was too young to remember anything. When they died in that boating accident I wasn't even a year old."

"Does Komui still tell you stories?" he asked softly, taking her hand in his.

"He does…" she nodded, biting her lip and looking at their joined hands. "Sometimes I wish he didn't though…"

"Because it makes you feel guilty for not remembering…" Allen filled in when she fell silent. He understood perfectly, he'd been there.

"Yeah," she replied, eyes filling with tears. "But I know he needs to talk about them sometimes because it relieves him to do so and because I know he wants to share them with me. They are a part of me too," she chuckled nervously and sniffled, rolling her teary eyes up to the ceiling.

Allen pulled her to him and took her in his arms, holding her head close to his.

"I hate funerals!" she whimpered with a chuckle.

He smiled into her hair and kissed her gently. "Do you have any idea how much I rely on you, Lenalee?"

She sniffled and wrapped her arms around him.

"So much," Allen whispered. "You've kept yourself strong for the both of us for nearly two months. Please let go now; it's okay. I'm so sorry for putting this on you."

Lenalee broke down in sobs and shook her head. "Don't say that, Allen… I wish I could've kept you from hurting at all. There's nothing I wouldn't do for your sorry ass…"

Allen chuckled and closed his eyes, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "I love you so much…"

"You deserve only the best, Allen, never forget that," she whispered, kissing his temple. "Never, _ever_, forget that."

Allen nodded and sniffled over her shoulder, "Same goes for you."

She smiled and laughed, rocking them from side to side when he chuckled softly in turn.

"Okay, enough with the crappy mushy stuff," Lenalee said after a while, wiping her tears away carefully to spare her make-up. "What do you want for lunch?"

Allen grinned, brushing his tears away as well. "Actually, I'm meeting Marian for lunch in 45."

"Oh," she said in a singing tone. "You guys seem to be getting close again…" she opened the fridge again with a playful pout. "Should I be worried?"

"No," Allen assured her. "He's just being here for me, like you are."

"Does him 'being here for you' come with 'having sex with you' too?"

"No," he replied and she could clearly see and hear that that answer surprised him as much as it surprised her. "Huh."

"Maybe—" she started, but stopped herself.

"Maybe what?"

Lenalee raised her eyebrows in wonder. "No, nothing. I have nothing," she said, her voice sounding surprised again.

Allen chuckled and began to walk out of the kitchen. "Anyway, Marian says he has some important news to share."

"About Black Order?"

"Who knows? He didn't say."

"How long will you be out for?" she asked, taking out bacon and eggs.

"We'll probably come back here later, since he's taking the red eye back."

"Okay, tell him I want him over for dinner then," she said before suddenly realizing something and padding after him a moment later. "So he's not spending the night?" she asked with a fake airy tone.

Allen glanced over his shoulder with a frown and then stepped onto the first step of the stairs. "No, why?"

She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Oh, no reason."

Allen suddenly got what she was trying to get to and let his head fall back onto his shoulders with an amused smirk, rolling his eyes when she sauntered back into the kitchen.

* * *

"Oh come on, that's not true and you know it!" Allen laughed, walking backwards as he looked at Cross who was chuckling, turning his head towards the sea.

"You were 14, scared and alone."

Allen smiled a little and shrugged admittedly. "Well I had you," he said, turning around and spreading his arms against the wind that came in. "Thank God I did, I had no idea what I was supposed to do," he then whispered, looking over his shoulder at him, smiling.

Cross looked at him silently, smiling back softly, mesmerized by the way Allen's hair moved in the wind. "It's hard to realize you like boys at that age…"

Allen nodded, his expression pensive. "I'm glad that period of my life is over…"

Cross watched him, knowing he wasn't voicing the thought that went through both their minds at that moment.

When Allen was fourteen and found out that he liked boys, it made his school life even worse than it was before. Some jocks from a higher class found out about him and nearly beat him to death behind the bleachers of the school's football field.

Allen had seriously contemplated killing himself after this incident that seemed to be the culmination of the ordeal school had always been for him. If it hadn't been for Cross then too… he wouldn't be—

"Hey, how about next time you finally get a haircut?"

Cross blinked, forcefully pulled out of his thoughts. "Why?" he asked, shaking his famous hair out and letting it play in the soft breeze. "My fiery mane is my trademark!"

Allen cocked his head to the side with a mocking grin. "Dude, the fact that you call it your 'fiery mane' is proof that you have more hair than brains."

Cross laughed at that. "It's my pride, you know that."

Allen approached him and reached for a lock that lay on top of Cross jacket against his chest. "So if I was to cut it off, it'd be like cutting off your…?"

Cross intercepted his approaching hand with his own. "It'd be the last thing you'd ever do. No jokes."

Allen laughed and then gave him a defiant look, reaching with his other hand for his hair only to be stopped again, now both hands captured by Cross'.

They soon fell silent at how dangerously close their faces were.

Cross watched him pensively for a moment, gazing into his trusting eyes. "Are you—"

"Lenalee asked you over for dinner," Allen interrupted him, blushing and breathing hard.

Cross let go of his wrists and took a step back. "Allen, I—"

"So how about it?" Allen said, smiling nervously. "Will you come?"

Cross scratched the back of his head, "Sure, but Allen—"

"I know," Allen whispered, looking down and shaking his head. "Just… It's not what I need right now. I don't know why—"

"What about what you _want_, Allen?" Cross whispered softly, catching his gaze with his.

Allen didn't reply and just looked away. "What was it that you wanted to tell me this morning?" he asked instead, still not looking at him.

"That can wait," Cross replied, taking a step closer again. "Tell Lenalee I would love to come for dinner."

Allen looked up at him just in time to see him bend over and blushed again, taking a shaky breath when Cross' lips landed on his forehead. He felt him smile against his skin before asking: "Do you know the meaning of this kiss?"

Allen shook his head, eyes closed as he tried to slow his heartbeat down.

"A kiss on the forehead means you're precious to the person kissing you," Cross whispered against his temple.

Allen lifted his head at that and looked him in the eyes.

There was no doubt about it… he could see it now. It was there.

"Marian…"

"At what time is dinner?" Cross murmured, brushing a strand of Allen's hair away from his eyes.

"Around 6-ish?"

He smiled. "I'll be there."

Allen nodded stiffly, his whole body feeling like it was on edge. "Thanks for lunch."

"You're welcome," Cross answered, turning around to leave.

Allen watched him go, torn between desire and guilt.

Why was this always so hard with Cross?

* * *

"I'm confused."

Cross glanced at him from his sitting position on the sofa in the sunroom and reached for the pegheads of his guitar to twist them. Lenalee and Kanda had gone to a movie now that dinner was over. "Obviously."

Allen grunted in annoyance, letting his head fall against the back of the cane chair he was sitting in. "Stop being a smart-ass!"

Cross let go of the guitar, placing it on the floor. "Then just tell me what it is you want to know."

Allen lowered his head against his pulled up knees and scowled at him, blushing and not saying anything.

Cross raised his eyebrows enticingly, but still didn't get a word from him. He sighed and stood then. "Do you need anything from the kitchen while you're thinking about what you want to ask me?"

Allen closed his eyes and let his forehead fall against his knees in defeat. "You know what it is…"he said, voice sounding muffled. "So, stop pretending."

Cross stilled in his movements and lowered his head. "The choice is yours, Allen."

"Shit…" he whispered, covering his face with his hands. "I still have Tyki on my mind…" he said with a chuckle, looking at the ceiling, a tear escaping from an eye. "But I've… you're…"

Cross approached him again and kneeled in front of him. "You don't need to do this now, if you don't feel ready."

Allen looked at him. "I have to," he whispered, shaking his head. "I want this to be over… this constant confusion over what it is I'm feeling and for whom. It needs to stop…" he put his feet back on the floor in front of Marian and took his face in his hands with a shaky breath.

"Allen…"

"Guess I'm still that 12 year-old that needs you so much…" Allen moved in closer and kissed him softly on his lips. "Do you know the meaning of this kiss?"

Cross smiled tenderly and played the tips of his fingers against Allen's blushing face. Without further ado he captured his lips with his again, kissing him longingly and ardently, running his finger through the pale locks of his hair over and over.

Allen moaned softly and wrapped his arms around his neck, following him upwards as he stood again, jumping up and nimbly closing his legs around his waist as Cross added support to his ass with both hands.

They broke the kiss and stared at each other for a moment, finding all the consent and desire they needed to take this to the inevitable next step.

Allen sighed in pleasure a little over five minutes later when Cross closed his hands that were intertwined with Allen's over his head against the pillows and pushed inside of him, keeping their eyes locked.

The bottle of lube lay on top of their discarded clothing next to the bed.

A series of high pitched gasps escaped him when he felt every ridge and bump go on in oh so slowly, setting each of his nerve endings on fire. He couldn't dare look away from those intense brown eyes as he cried out softly when Cross was fully inside, hitting the right bundle of nerves deep within.

Cross watched him breathe up to him, skin already damp and flushed, lips swollen and red, quietly begging for more. He looked up at their joined hands and smiled contently when he saw Allen close his fingers around his hands in silent response.

Their lips found each other again a second later, tongues caressing and exploring lovingly while their bodies began to rock against one and other slowly, passionately and intimately.

It was intense, but of a different kind than the one Allen usually experienced with Cross, it was tender and yet ardent, felt unconditional and yet passionately selfish.

His body was trembling when they switched positions minutes later, his hips lowering into Cross lap slowly, his throbbing manhood plunging back inside of him, hard and unrelenting. Because Cross didn't have leverage in this position he simply stared at how the sweat was dripping from Allen's chest as he arched and moved his hips up and down wantonly, mewling and moaning breathlessly. He wrapped his arms around him after a moment, breathing in his ear wordlessly and holding him tighter when Allen put his arms around him too.

"Yeah… yeah…" Allen gasped, arching and pushing his hips back to meet his gentle thrusts, now lying on his side with Cross behind him. Soft lips landed on his shoulder, kissing him there, the sensual sensation of his long red hair brushing over his skin making him shiver all over. Cross's right arm braced itself against Allen's right leg, keeping it up while its hand pressed against Allen's member, pushing the smaller male's body against his bigger one, keeping it locked tight against him so he couldn't do anything but take the incessant deep drives in and out.

Allen was soon out of breath, cheek resting against the shoulder that braced him against his pillows. He was already beginning to tense up and he could tell Cross was on to it because he increased the speed of his thrusts and urged him to turn his head for a hungry kiss that robbed him of more oxygen. Just when he thought he'd faint from the lack of air, Cross released him and stared at him quietly, still pushing in and out without fail.

Allen could only stare back, the edges of his vision beginning to blur the closer he came to his orgasm.

"I love you, Allen."

Allen came almost instantly, crying out again with a voice rough from breathing to hard. Cross followed not too much after, grunting against Allen's forehead, still pumping his hips against him.

Falling back against the pillows and the mattress, Allen looked up at him, moaning lazily at his slowing thrusts, feeling wonderfully sated and deliciously content. He reached his hand up and passed it through his loosening ponytail, dragging the hair band with his fingers as he went. Gorgeous layers of carmine cascaded down on him and he smiled tiredly as he brushed it back behind an ear.

Cross smiled back and carefully pulled out of him before lowering himself onto him to kiss him tenderly, snuggling close behind him so they could fall asleep in each other's arms until it was time for him to go.

Allen remembered falling asleep with a truly happy feeling that night.

When he woke up alone the next morning, he found a note on his bedside cabinet, telling him what it was that Cross initially had wanted to tell him. It immediately made him sprint out of his room and down the stairs.

"Lenalee!" He cried, finding her in the living room, standing in front of the TV. "Delete are the ones who tried to discredit us! Marian found out that— they…" He stilled, properly closing his bathrobe around his body as he suddenly realized that she was crying, watching a news report about a plane that crashed during the night.

"Allen…" she whimpered, turning her head to him. "What flight was Cross supposed to be on?"

"What…?" he whispered, reaching for support when his ears picked up half of what the reporter on scene was saying.

"…_of the Red-Eye __Flight S458. There are reportedly no survivors…"_

After that Allen couldn't remember what she said because that's when his hand missed the sofa and he collapsed onto the floor, blacking out.

* * *

**_The past as they say, is the past. It is time for true healing. To let go. To close doors. And to forgive._**

_ToBeContinued in **11. Judgement**_

_**-BDP-  
**_


	11. Judgement

**Hi everybody! Welcome back!**

**This is the penultimate chapter to this story and I found it heartbreakingly hard to write, so you have been warned! This chapter is waterproof mascara safe only! But it gets better near the end, though. **

**Show me love!**

**Warning:**** Hurt!Allen. Un-betaed.**

**Tarot Card Meaning/ Chapter Summary:** **The Judgement Card usually signals a big change, one that involves leaving something old completely behind and stepping into something completely new. It's also about making a final decision, to take that plunge, to forgive, to leave something, to make a new life. To heal and renew. It's a very hard card to read, in part because it deals with very hard and final decisions.**

* * *

JUDGEMENT

* * *

"_Allen!"_

_He looked at the 17 year old standing on his doorstep, soaked to the bone because of the pouring rain and breathing hard like he'd been running for miles. "What are you doing here? How did you—"_

"_I took the last bus," Allen whispered, taking a step and dropping his travel bag. "I needed to see you."_

_He smiled in an endeared manner. "It's late; couldn't you have waited another few hours?"_

_Allen shook his head and walked up to him, wrapping his arms around his neck. "I needed to see you…" he repeated before smashing their lips together in a hungry kiss._

_Cross broke the kiss and looked at him. "You're sure?"_

_Allen smiled and nodded. "I'm sure."_

_The door to the apartment loft fell close after Cross kicked it with his foot. He then took Allen by the hand and led him into his bedroom for the night._

…

…

_His eyes were looking at the changing lights projected against the head wall afterwards. The room changed from a deep purple to a sultry red and then to a vivid yellow followed by a soft green and an aquatic blue over and over. Allen smiled absentmindedly at the colors, bracing himself on his elbows and not thinking of anything in particular._

_A large hand slid onto his covered backside and he turned his head to the side to find Cross looking at him through half-lidded eyes._

"_Happy birthday," Cross whispered gruffly._

_Allen bit his lower lip and grinned, lowering his face onto his for a kiss. "Thanks for making it the best one so far…"_

"_How are you feeling? Not too sore?" Cross asked gently, running a hand through Allen's hair._

_Allen shook his head, "Nothing too bad; I was well prepared…"_

"_You can throw that dildo away now," he chuckled._

_Allen chuckled back, "But you gave it to me and I've grown fond of it!"_

_Cross laughed out loud at that. "You've experienced the real thing now and you still want to go for a substitute?"_

"_Of course not, not when you put it that way," Allen spoke softly, kissing him again. "The real thing is ten thousand times better! And bigger!"_

_They laughed and Cross pulled him down on him and rolled them over, intertwining their hands when Allen sat on him. "You know Lenalee has planned a whole day for you, right?"_

_Allen frowned. "She has?"_

_Cross grinned and nodded. "When will you ask her?"_

"_About moving into my parents' house with me?" Allen asked, reaching for the bedside cabinet and taking the smokes he knew Cross kept there. "I was actually thinking of asking her tonight."_

"_Remember to go pick up the deed and the key to the house before the end of the week," Cross said, gently taking the pack of cigarettes back out of Allen's hands and placing it back. "I'll send a cleaning crew once you have the key."_

_Allen pouted at the pack but nodded, "Will do. Thanks again for fixing this will thing for me so fast."_

"_Good to know that you being emancipated and all still means you can use my help," Cross murmured with faked indifference._

"_I'll always need you…" Allen whispered back, leaning over and enclosing his head with both his arms, his fingers playing with his hair. "Always…" he insisted, kissing him. He then laid himself next to him again and smiled happily when Cross kissed him on his forehead._

* * *

She was looking up from her leaning position in the archway of the living room, partly waiting for him to come down and partly holding herself back from running up the stairs. "Maybe he wants to be alone?"

Kanda appeared behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "He'll feel alone a lot from now on…"

She placed her right hand over his left one, her engagement ring glittering in the pale morning light that filtered through the mat glass in the door. "I should just give him some time…"

He embraced her and closed his eyes, resting his chin on the top of her head. "It's all he has, Lenalee…"

She turned around in his arms and looked at him, her lips trembling. ""I still can't believe it happened," she whispered against his chest.

Kanda remained silent, eyes falling on the picture of Marian Cross standing on a small table next to them on the other side of the archway.

"Go to him," he whispered, brushing some of her hair back. "He needs you."

Lenalee nodded and took a step back, taking in a shaky breath before turning and walking up the stairs.

The sound of running water was the first thing she heard when she stepped into his room, the bathroom door standing open. She entered and then heard the sobs behind the rushing water. His small, naked frame could be seen through the frosted glass of the shower door. He was sitting in a corner and leaning against the tiled wall, holding himself close. She immediately took off her shirt and skirt and walked into the shower and spray of lukewarm water in her underwear, sitting herself next to him and taking him in her arms when he turned to her. His heart-wrenching sobs and desperate cries moved her to tears as well and so they cried together for a time. Lenalee let him express his pain and grief, consoling him with her presence when he wailed on and couldn't find an end to his tears.

They stayed that way, even long after the water had turned cold.

* * *

Everything seemed to have passed in a blur.

The funeral, the endless press conferences about Delete's sabotage of Black Order, the interviews, the incessant calls from talk shows executives for guest appearances, the countless letters, messages and e-mails from friends, family and fans showing their support…

Days turned into nights, nights turned into mornings and Allen felt like he was slowly going insane.

It still felt like he was living in a dream, a nightmare, a horrendous joke… it was only a matter of time before he'd wake up and find Cross sitting on the cane sofa with his guitar, smoking a cigarette. He could even already hear the notes he was playing and smell the wisps of smoke…

His head hit the glass of the window seat in the sunroom and he sighed, willing for his throat to not clench up and for the threatening tears to not fall. He reached for the pack of cigarettes that lay near his naked feet on the seat and took one, lighting it. He took a drag and looked outside at the gardener mowing the grass and at their withering flowers. They would have to be replanted, but at that time Allen couldn't bring himself to give a damn.

He took another drag and picked up his ashtray before standing and padding from the living room into the kitchen.

"It looks like Delete is in big legal trouble now," Lenalee said, putting down her paper and taking a toast from her plate. Her eyes then fell on the ashtray and the cigarette Allen put on the island as he passed her by. A familiar cigarette smell lingered and she sighed worriedly.

"Let them have it," Allen whispered, his voice holding an edge of anger as he took out a wineglass from a cupboard. He reached into the cupboard near the sink and took out a bottle of freshly bought wine, uncorked it and poured some into his glass. "As far as I'm concerned they may as well have killed Marian. I won't stop pursuing them until they're forced to crawl back into the gutter they fucking came from."

The cold tone of his voice surprised her, but she wouldn't stop him; Road and the others deserved it. She was only worried about what this legal crusade was doing to Allen.

Cross had been buried for barely a month and already she didn't recognize Allen anymore. He was cold, dispassionate, smoked, drank and barely left the house other than to go to court or meeting up with his lawyers and Komui. He didn't practice his music anymore and the thought of Cross seeing his Allen like this saddened her immensely. Allen was suffering, there was no doubt, but she couldn't seem to get through to him without having him shut her out for days on end.

The diamond of her engagement ring glistened softly in the overhead lights and she sighed. Even the news of her engagement had barely provoked a reaction from Allen when she told him Kanda asked her on that fated night. She wondered if he'd even heard her when she told him Marie and Miranda planned to get married in six months.

It was like life had stopped on that night for Allen and he only lived to see Delete fall apart. Cross was like a ghost that followed him around now; he never left the house without wearing Cross' golden rosary or his golden cigarette holder. And now he smoked the same brand he used to and drank the way Cross loved to too.

Granted it'd only been a month, but with the way things were going now, it didn't look like they'd get better any time soon.

Someone rang the front door then and she lifted her head to the hall, shaken out of her thoughts. She noticed Allen had left the kitchen already, probably somewhere up in his room. She slid off her stool and padded on her naked feet to the door, looking at her watch as she went.

The door swayed open a moment later and she smiled sadly at the man standing behind it, stepping aside to invite him in.

* * *

There was knock on his door, but Allen ignored it and kept staring out of the window of his lounge, sitting quietly in Cross' black chair with a cigarette in between his right hand fingers.

He took a drag when the door opened and closed, refusing to acknowledge whomever it was that was there.

"It's been a while, Allen."

The sound of that familiar voice made him stop in his movements and he sat back, casting his eyes to the floor. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you lost someone important to you, so I came to show my condolences."

"Marian's been dead for a month now," Allen coldly said.

"I never got the impression I was welcome before…"

Allen stilled at that and gritted his teeth. He had a point. "Thanks for your time."

"Allen, I just want to know if… are you alright?"

Allen scowled and closed his eyes, biting his tongue. "Fine, but I'd like for you to leave now," he harshly whispered, putting out his smoke in the ashtray standing on the windowsill.

"It's okay to be angry, you know?"

Allen stood from his chair at that and turned to him. Their eyes met and for a moment he wished he hadn't confronted him in the state he was now, because there he stood; looking as good as he always had, his life perfectly balanced with everything he probably needed and wanted, while he fucked everything up over and over again only to end up… like this.

Alone and regretting everything bitterly.

Why did _he _have to leave?

"You don't know anything…"

Tyki took a step closer, dropping his jacket and his hat on the red sofa. "Allen, it's okay…"

He chuckled at that, shaking his head. "Oh you think? I made a choice, one that I should've made in the beginning and now he's _gone_! _Nothing_ is okay! Not one single _thing_!"

Tyki stopped in his tracks when Allen picked up the glass of wine and smashed it against a nearby wall.

"Fuck!" Allen whispered with his hands in his hair and fighting the upcoming tears. "Oh fuck… just go, please…" he then whimpered, sitting back in chair, suddenly very tired. "Just go…"

"You should hate him," Tyki whispered, not moving from his spot and eyes falling on the black hat that stood on the table and the rosary that hung against the wall near the window. "It's okay to hate him. Let go of your anger, Allen."

"Stop!" Allen cried, looking at him furiously. "Enough, okay? Don't talk about him that way!" He stilled and sighed desolately. "He was my best friend…"

"Yet he's the one who left, isn't he?" Tyki calmly whispered, looking at him serenely.

Allen stood again, shaking his head in denial. "Don't," he said shakily, "He did so much for me, more than I ever realized. So don't talk like you knew him, because you didn't."

"I know he's not here," Tyki retorted coolly with a shrug. "And if I recall it correctly, you used to say that he was never around. Some best friend, huh?"

"Stop…" Allen whimpered, the tears now falling down his cheeks. "You don't know any-anything…"

"You hated him for never being here."

"Shut up…"

"And now when you thought you'd finally be together, he goes up and leaves again. For good."

Allen looked up at him, sobbing now. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you need to understand that blaming yourself is not going to get you anywhere… This wasn't your fault and it doesn't say anything about you or what you've done."

Allen looked away and sobbed on, shaking his head. "I can't blame him for this… It wasn't—"

"Then blame God or fate or whatever, but don't let the anger you have inside of you consume you like this," Tyki whispered, placing his hands on his shoulders, looking for his eyes. "What you're doing right now… this crusade won't bring him back and it won't make you feel any better when it's all over because he'll _still _be gone."

Allen chocked on a sob and reached for his arm when his knees gave away on him and he fell back into the chair, his other hand pressed against his chest as he tried to calm his heart down and catch his breath.

Tyki took his hand in his and kneeled in front of him. "Allen…"

"I thought we could…" he whispered tearfully, hiccupping and pressing his eyes closed, "Why did this have to happen…? Why did he leave me again…?"

"Allen," Tyki whispered, taking both his hands in his now.

"I can't do this," Allen whimpered, looking at him hopelessly. "How could he think that I could do this without him? I can't do this without him…!"

Tyki pulled him in and took him in his arms, closing his eyes and tightening his hold when Allen let out a pained wail and cried on. "It's going to be alright, Allen… you'll get through this, I'll help you in any way that I can. I promise."

Allen grabbed on to his shirt tightly and sniffled, not saying anything; his sobs making his weakened and unnurtured body shake violently. He let Tyki pick him up and wrap his legs around his waist silently.

Tyki noted the significant difference in weight in Allen's body and tightened his hold on him worriedly, walking them into his bedroom and dropping him on his bed gently, kneeling in front of him again. Allen had his eyes closed again, the tears still falling down his cheeks.

"So what do I do now?" he whispered softly.

Tyki smiled encouragingly and placed a hand against his cheek. "You celebrate his life, Allen."

Allen's eyes opened at that and he looked at him as if he saw him for the first time. "How do I do that…?"

"How about starting with a shower and then quit smoking and drinking?" Tyki replied, still smiling.

A flash of hesitation shone in Allen's eyes. "I…"

Tyki picked up on it and nodded understandingly. "He'll always be a part of you, no matter what, but smoking and drinking just isn't you…"

"He knew that too…" Allen whispered, smiling sadly, another tear finding his way down his face.

"He wouldn't want for you to start now then," Tyki said, smirking.

Allen smirked back a little. "He wouldn't… he had his rules, you know… when it came to me…"

Tyki nodded again.

Allen sighed and then took a shaky breath, pushing himself up on his feet carefully. He slowly made his way to the bathroom and then closed the door behind him.

Tyki sighed sadly. On his right he found a picture of Cross and Allen running into the sea from the beach with their backs to the photographer. Allen looked smaller here; he was perhaps eleven or twelve years old.

Tyki took the picture in his hands and looked at it more closely before closing his eyes in silent prayer.

"_I'll look after him for you, so you can rest in peace…"_

He placed the picture back and stood again, exiting the room a moment later to wait for Allen in the lounge.

* * *

The hanging bulbs of light swayed calmly in the passing sea breeze that evening. The waves were crashing onto the shore in the distance. The small patio of the restaurant they were at lit up like an oasis of light in the surrounding darkness of the night.

"Okay, so here's a toast."

They all reached for their glass and looked expectantly in the direction of Lavi who was standing from his seat with his glass of wine held up high. "Crap… I knew I should've written this down beforehand."

Allen laughed along with the rest of their group and looked up at Tyki who grinned back at him. "Thank God you're not going to be the best man to either one of them, Lavi. That'd be a catastrophe waiting to happen."

Everyone laughed again and even Lavi nodded in agreement. "Thank God, right? Sheesh, this is hard enough."

Lenalee slapped a hand against her forehead and leaned into Kanda who pulled her to him with a chuckle.

"So anyway," Lavi continued, clearing his throat. "To Miranda, Marie, Lenalee and Kanda. Congratulations on making the rest of us feel like total losers when it comes down to love."

The entire table erupted in laughter again.

"But seriously," he went on, "I think everyone around this table wishes they had something as valuable as what you four feel for your significant other. You've become an example to follow and we can only wish you all the best and hope your love only grows with the passing times."

"Hear, hear!" Tyki exclaimed and the others followed suit.

"Times have been tough," Lavi then said with a sigh, "We've lost good friends and mentors and despite all the hardships we've stuck together and gained valuable allies too."

Allen smiled up at Tyki gratefully and Tyki bumped his shoulder against his in an amicable manner.

"We promised we'd gather around this table again and here we are; our family strong and united once again."

They all nodded and made consenting sounds.

"So, Miranda, Marie, Lenalee and Kanda; from the bottom of all of our hearts –and this is going to sound even more corny- although you're on the verge of starting your own families, know that this one will always be here for you whenever you need it to be!"

Everybody cheered and brought their glasses together, clinking for a brighter future.

The wind had picked up a bit a few hours later and Allen tucked his hair behind an ear as he turned his head to look at the moon rising above the ocean. His naked feet sunk into the wet sand as he stood there silently, thinking of nothing in particular.

7 months had passed since their worlds had been turned upside down by the scandals and they'd survived it; Black Order was still going to release their first album in a month and a half.

The loss of Marian Cross was a deep wound that had been healing slowly over the past 5 months since his death, but Allen was now confident that he'd get over the pain eventually. He had Tyki to thank for that, he knew; never would he have found his way back without him.

And now Miranda and Marie were getting married tomorrow.

Life was indeed continuing on and he only felt grateful for it.

Footsteps stopped in the sand behind him and he smiled at the soft baritone that whispered to him.

"Ready to go home?"

He turned and looked at him for a few moments before taking a step closer. "Tyki."

Tyki smiled and cocked his head to the side, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Thank you," Allen whispered.

"For what?"

Allen smiled and took his hands in his. "For giving me time."

Tyki only stared at him silently.

"You gave me the time and the space I needed to rebuild myself after what happened. You were always there; you never faltered and remained patient when I knew you had no obligation whatsoever towards me."

Tyki took a step closer too and squeezed their joined hands, remaining silent because he knew Allen needed to say what he wanted to say.

"That day will come," Allen continued, looking him in the eyes now. "The day you'll be able to have what you want to have. And when it comes, I'll be ready… to give you everything…"

Tyki nodded in understanding and brought their joined hands to his lips to kiss them.

Allen smiled gently. "… So we can move forwards together."

"Love is never too late," Tyki whispered back.

They embraced each other and held each other close.

Allen closed his eyes again and smiled into his neck, thinking about Cross' last words to him. "I know that now…"

"_You just have to learn how to wait…"_

* * *

ToBeContinued in** 12. Epilogue – The World**

_**-BDP-**_


	12. The World

**So, here we are, the end of this story!**

**It's been a great ride, thank you for all of you out there that read and commented on this! Never did I write and finish a story this fast, it usually takes me years to finish even one! I guess it's just because I felt so inspired by the pairings that it felt so easy to write it… of course you peeps helped a lot too!**

**I give you THE WORLD and wish all of you well!**

**PS:**** Though it's not mentioned in the chapter, Delete is officially disbanded.**

**PS2: Since I found it a bit hard to describe how Tyki, Allen and Lenalee's outfits looked like, you can see pictures if you follow the link in my bio under Extra's  
**

**Tarot Card Meaning/ Chapter summary:** **The World Card represents a successful conclusion, all aspects accounted for and taken in. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. The Querent's hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; they've done everything right. This is a wonderful card of wholeness, perfection, satisfaction and happiness.**

* * *

EPILOGUE – THE WORLD

* * *

"Baby, you almost ready yet?"

The weather had cleared up significantly from the morose grey clouds and drizzling rain that had dominated the skies for the past few days, the air outside now warm and almost sweltering out with little wind, making it the perfect weather for a beach wedding.

Tyki scratched the top of his head carefully to spare his expensive haircut and leaned against the black banister of the stairs and looked up impatiently. "Allen!"

"_Be right there!"_

"We're going to be late!" Tyki yelled back, walking over to the small dresser and mirror that stood near the door. He picked up his watch from the small crystal bowl and put it on, fixing his cufflinks a moment later and checking his collar and ruche tie in the mirror. The seven golden buttons on each side of his mandarin style jacket glistened softly as he turned to the side to look at himself a last time as he waited for his significant other to finally descend the stairs.

He heard the door of their bedroom fall close in the distance and sighed in relief only to roll his eyes in an aggravated manner a bit later when Allen's footsteps ran back up the stairs and into their room again.

Outside, their chauffeur was hitting the horn of the car that was supposed to get them to Promise Beach for the wedding.

"What the hell are you doing up there?"

Footsteps thundered down the stairs then and Allen appeared a moment later, clutching a big rectangular gift box under his right arm. "I'm here already," he said calmly, brushing his hair back with a slight scowl.

Tyki sighed again and gave him a reprimanding look which Allen returned with an innocent one, albeit with his tongue stuck out. "Sorry," he then whispered when he saw that Tyki wasn't really amused.

"Come here," Tyki whispered gently, reaching for Allen's loose ribbon tie. He took the decorative black and white rhinestone pin out and put it in between his teeth, tightening the simple knot just enough.

Allen lifted his head and looked at him silently, admiring this man who'd been sharing his life for more than a year now and still managed to make him long for him like it was the very first time. They'd moved into this mansion after Black Order's West Coast Tour a month back, now officially living together.

Allen was happy and in love, having found support, a level of intimacy and of understanding that he didn't think was possible to have in a relationship. Just the fact that he could lose himself in Tyki to such an extent that he didn't mind about his own self amazed him at times because he'd never thought it to be possible for him to love someone so deeply and boundlessly again.

They understood each other completely and complemented each other perfectly and there wasn't a day that passed that he didn't wonder how he had made it so well.

Tyki placed the pin back in its place and his eyes met Allen's. He noticed that look again, the one filled with wonderment. It made him happy in a sense and he smiled a little. "You look great."

"I know, but so do you," Allen whispered back softly.

Tyki cracked another smile at that and kissed him softly. "Let's go?"

Grinning, Allen nodded and placed his hand in his when Tyki reached back for him and opened the front door.

A bulky man wearing a black suit greeted them and helped them towards the awaiting limo, constantly talking into his earphone as they went.

"I hope they've managed to keep the press out," Allen said, descending the steps in front of their house with a wary glance at the photographers lurking in the bushes across the street.

"They managed to keep them out at Miranda's wedding, so I would think so…" Tyki whispered back, pulling Allen closer as they approached the car.

"Please watch your heads, sirs," the bodyguard warned as they prepared to step into the car.

The drove in silence to the Hall of Commerce overlooking the beach where the ceremony was going to be held upon, stepping out in front of the building and into a rain of acclamations from the many fans that were waiting behind security lines to have a glimpse of the celebrity couple.

Tyki and Allen had become a popular couple ever since their individual spokespersons officially announced that they were seeing each other. Allen's trying times after Cross' death had evoked a lot of sympathy from the press and fans and both the showbiz and the fans were more than happy to find out that their favorite Black Order member was doing well again thanks to business mogul Tyki Mikk.

Right now, you couldn't find a couple more glamorous than the _Poker Pair_.

It was a nickname they'd been given because they'd both participated in celebrity poker games at different times over the past year and almost always ended in the top 3. They'd both confessed to love the game in diverse interviews too.

Allen took Tyki's hand as he turned his head around and waved at the crowd on the other side of the street. He grinned and walked up the stairs towards the white rectangular building, sharing a smile with Tyki who looked back at him and squeezed his hand.

They walked into the humongous space inside the building and could immediately smell and hear the sea coming through the grand doors in the back that gave a splendid view of the shore and clear blue ocean beyond.

Allen gave his gift to the clerk checking the invitations and walked on with Tyki passed the many marble pillars supporting the structure towards the blindingly white steps leading down towards the aisle that was decorated on each side with white flowers, green plants and ribbons hanging from the rows of silver chairs that stood on a steady wooden platform. Up ahead was a wedding altar with large flower pieces of white orchids and green flowers on each side, the intricate gothic pattern of the painted wood slightly hidden by the shear lengths of white fabric it was layered with.

Many heads, famous and not, turned when Tyki and Allen walked down the aisle towards their seats on the side of the bride, smiling and waving at their friends and family as they went. It looked like all the invitees were present and had been for a while.

The celebrant was already waiting patiently behind his altar, holding his holy book in his hands with an expectant smile.

"Hey you guys, you're finally here."

They looked to their right and suddenly found Komui standing next to them. "Hey," Allen whispered, "Sorry, it took us longer than expected."

Komui tucked a strand of his shoulder length hair back and nodded understandingly. "You made it well in time, that's the most important thing."

"How is it going back there?" Tyki asked leaning onto Allen's chair with an arm.

"Miranda, Sachiko and Anita are ready, it's the men who are kind of dragging their asses."

Allen grinned, "Let me guess, Lavi is still standing in front of the mirror and Chaoji is still rehearsing his walk?"

Komui laughed, looking at the crowd briefly. " Marie is trying to get them to hurry it up, yeah. Hey, since you're not part of the bridal procession, Lenalee kind of hoped to see you before she'd take the big walk…" he whispered, looking at Allen pointedly.

"Oh," Allen whispered, standing up and placing his program booklet back on his seat. "Of course." He gave Tyki a peck on his lips. "Be right back," he said following Komui back into the hall.

* * *

There were three soft knocks on her door and she turned around nervously, pulling her dress behind her and letting it fall on the floor again.

"Allen is that you?"

Allen opened the door carefully with a small smile and stepped inside. "Hey…"

"Hey…" she breathed back, waving her hands in front of her restlessly. "Oh my God I'm so glad you're here!"

Allen walked up to her open arms and hugged cautiously before looking at her. "You look fantastic… God, Lenalee…"

Her dress was of a pale white, at its base a long flowing strapless dress made out of chiffon tissue with a pleated bust and empire waist. A bouquet of white flowers fell down her left shoulder and a small train gave it a finishing touch. It was an airy dress; perfect for the kind of wedding she was going to have.

Her hair had been done up in an elegant, curly style with white flowers and white rhinestone pins decorating her bun and locks falling down on each side of her face.

"You really think so?" she asked, voice small and quivery, her smile trembling.

Allen smiled back. "Of course!" he said, coaxing her to turn around to face her mirror. "Take a deep breath."

She did as told and closed her eyes, opening and closing her fists in hopes of relieving the tension she couldn't seem to get rid of. "Fuck… this is huge…"

"It is," Allen agreed. "I never imagined this day would come this fast."

Lenalee chuckled and readily picked up a tissue from the box standing on the small table next to the mirror. "I know, right?" she whispered and then bit her lip, eyes watering up. "I'm so nervous."

Allen wrapped his arms over her naked shoulders and rested his face in the crook of her right shoulder, closing his eyes when she rested her cheek against his head. "I know you are, but you know what?"

"What?" she whispered, pressing a tip of her tissue against the outer corner of her left eye carefully.

"You and Kanda know that this is where you want to be, you know this is what you both deserve," Allen whispered, looking at her admiringly in the mirror. "And deep inside I know that this is meant to be and I know you know it too."

She sniffled and smiled at him thankfully.

"It's just you and Kanda in this, Lenalee," Allen continued. "Not much is going to change; you just get to show off your love in front of a couple hundred people, that's all."

Lenalee laughed. "That's not really helping, Al."

He grinned back. "What I'm trying to say is that this is your day, the start of a new tune. The rest of us are just here for the food."

She laughed heartedly at that and held on to the arms holding her. "Thank you…"

"Anytime," he whispered, kissing her cheek carefully.

"He would've been proud of you," she then said closing her eyes.

"I hope so," Allen replied, looking at her in the mirror again.

Lenalee turned around and took his face in her manicured hands. "You've grown so much, Allen. I'm sure that wherever he is right now, he's proud of the man you've become."

Allen took a shaky breath and nodded. "Now you're going to make me cry too…!"

"Good," she said. "I hate being the only one!"

They laughed and embraced each other a last time.

"See you in a bit, okay?" Allen said, walking back towards the door.

She nodded and then turned towards her mirror a last time, running her hands over her dress and breathing out calmly when the door closed behind her.

Lenalee then turned her head to the windows on her left and saw Kanda walking down the aisle to take his place at the altar.

When next her brother knocked on her door to take her down the aisle, she picked up her bouquet of orchids from the chair near her and went to the door, ready to get married.

* * *

"Hey, so I was thinking."

Allen looked at Tyki from the corner of his eye, swaying gently to the soft music that was playing on the dance floor in the party tent hours later.

"Oh?"

Tyki smiled and nodded, tightening his grip on Allen's hips. He quieted down then and looked him deeply in his eyes. "For your upcoming birthday, let's go away."

"What did you have in mind?"

"A commitment ceremony…" Tyki whispered calmly.

Allen fell silent, letting go of where they were and everything that was happening around them.

"Tyki…?" he whispered breathlessly, taken by surprise.

"What I'm saying is that I'm ready, Allen," Tyki said, licking his lips and nodding reassuringly. "I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He placed both his hands against Allen's face and caressed his cheekbones with his thumbs. "I love you. So much."

It was like he'd come full circle at last. Everything he'd been through, everything he'd lost and gained, it all amounted to this.

All the members of their group were moving on; Miranda was expecting her first child in two months, Lavi moved in with his long-time girlfriend Sachiko, Chaoji signed a contract to become a guest percussionist for another popular band and Lenalee was now happily married with the man of her dreams.

Everything had fallen into place steadily and Allen realized that while he'd been waiting for his life to make sense again, he'd become ready too.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you too," he whispered back, lips trembling as tears welled up in his eyes. "This is exactly how things are supposed to be, I know it."

Tyki chuckled and took him in an embrace, laughing blissfully into his hair and holding him close.

Allen laughed happily too, closing his eyes at the feel of Tyki's strong heartbeat beating against him.

"I love you."

It was a feeling he never wanted to live without ever again.

A sound that completed his world to perfection.

* * *

The red roses landed gently on the stone and he gently wiped the fallen leaves away from the name carved into the black marble.

_**Marian Cross**_

_**July 31, 1978 – June 23, 2009**_

Allen placed his gloved hand in Tyki's leather clothed one, standing upright again silently with a thankful smile.

"You ready?" Tyki whispered softly, looking at the grave with a respectful expression.

"Yeah," Allen replied, turning around and brushing hair away that wind blew into his face, following Tyki down the small hill towards the path leading to the exit.

_**

* * *

-The End-**_


End file.
